To Live Again
by FairDrea
Summary: Gohan/OC, Trunks/Goten. She came from a place she never wanted to return to and found a family she never thought she could have. And in Gohan, a love she had only dreamed of. Inspired by their honesty, Goten and Trunks take their own risks for love.
1. Default Chapter

**A/N:** Hey anyone still following this! This is a revamp of the original version. I read over it a lot and decided, in my 29 years of age…a LONG couple of years after starting this fic…that it really needed some fixing. And it really needed to be finished. The changes through the first eight chapters are going to be subtle, mostly because I didn't want to mess with it too much and I really like seeing the changes that have happened over the years in my writing.

If you've held on this long, you have my appreciation. I'm so sorry to leave you all up in the air but I'm going to fix that now hopefully. There were things I wanted to do with the fic that took a few years of convincing but without further ado…I'm finishing this baby!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DBZ and make no profit from this fic. I am looking for a beta however so if anyone wants to suggest someone or help me out, I'd really appreciate it!

**Chapter One: Escape**

The evening was silent. Blissfully so – a rarity in young Aiden Andrews life. Of course it wouldn't last soon. Her mother, Bernadette, would be home soon. She was out finding the next "meal ticket" to get her through the week on booze and cigarettes. Aiden reveled in the quiet atmosphere while she could as she moved the broom lazily over the kitchen floor, listening to the soft _scritch, scritch_ the bristled made over the aged linoleum. Her long, pale lavender hair was pulled away from her face and her too frail form was covered in a pair of simple jeans and a thick sweatshirt that hung over her. The effect was unflattering and she knew it, but she didn't care. She had no one to impress and the alternative…well, the alternative was far less appealing in her opinion.

A door slammed, followed by the obnoxious trill of her mother's bawdy laughter. Aiden looked up from her sweeping. Ice blue eyes stared coldly at the drunken couple stumbling their way over the threshold.

"Aiden, hun," Bernadette hiccupped. "Be a dear and do the dishes after you're done sweeping. Then you can get your scrawny ass to bed."

The man beside her, grossly overweight but obviously rich if the expensive suit and glitter of gold at his wrist were any indication, leaned over and whispered something in her mother's ear, sending the bleached blond woman into another round of ear splitting giggles. Then they were up the stairs and slammed into the seclusion of Bernadette's room. She was going to be entertaining yet another lust driven man this evening.

Aiden visibly shuddered and grabbed the remote from the kitchen table, turning the television on and pressing the volume button up several times. She took the broom to the closet and threw it in, her chocolate brown tail slashing the air irritable behind her as she turned back to the sink.

It was her birthday today. But did her mother care? No, she was too busy making her money off of men who could care less about her well being. Aiden was 20 now. That meant she had been her mother's maid for 20 years. The day she was born, oddly enough was the only day of her childhood that she could remember vividly. It wasn't normal for a child to remember that far back, but Aiden had never felt normal so the whole thing rather fit what she thought of herself.

She could remember how they had tried to hand her to her mother who was sobbing, screaming over and over again for them to take the child away. When Bernadette saw the tiny appendage protruding from Aiden's backside she had gone hysterical, labeling her daughter, her own flesh and blood, a freak.

Aiden bit back angry tears and brushed hastily at her dark lavender hair, tucking it behind her ear. She took a deep breath and reminded herself of the plan she'd decided on not so very long ago - the plan to get out of this hellhole and get as far away from it as possible. No more ungrateful "mother." Not after tonight.

"Again, crime has struck in Orange City. At 4:15 this afternoon a group of high school students were held at gunpoint by five men who demanded an outrageous sum of two million dollars in exchange for the hostages. Fortunately, the cities hero Saiyaman showed up and was able to put a stop to the threat before anyone was hurt."

Aiden glanced at the television, allowing a small smile to transform her hardened features as she watched a young man dressed in dark spandex and some kind of green shirt. A white cape flowed behind him as he gave the camera an award-winning smile. Sunglasses and a long white cloth tied behind his head covered what would be his most revealing features if anyone were to try to discover his true identity.

_Must be nice to be so carefree_, Aiden thought, going back to her dishes. The news wasn't all that important. She would be in the midst of it soon enough, hopefully by tomorrow.

A loud thud resounded from upstairs and Aiden turned the volume up even more, trying to drown out the offensive noises. Her tail wrapped itself around her too thin waist protectively. After tonight, she would never have to deal with this again.

Upstairs, doing her "job", Bernadette was oblivious to the fact that her daughter not only planned on leaving, but had been working, going to school, graduating, and had just been accepted into Satan City University. What better invitation did she need to escape the hell she was living in now? Yes, tomorrow would be the first day of her new life.

She finished the dishes and watched the water drain, then turned to shut the television off and immediately froze. Once again they were commending the hero's of the earth who had saved the planet from destruction when a creature named Buu had threatened their existence. In the background, arms crossed over a muscular chest, was a man whose face she would never forget.

The first time she had seen him she had been pouring her mother another glass of scotch when there he was, on the television, eyes as black as death and wearing a look that could have probably scared the hell most men. They had been doing a special on the World Tournament. Bernadette had grabbed her roughly by the neck and forced her to her knees in front of the television.

"Do you see him? Do you?" she had screamed, her voice slurred from the amount of alcohol she had sucked down. "That is the man who stuck me with a freak like you for a daughter! You want to be mad at someone...be mad at that asshole for bringing your sorry ass into this world!"

"Oh, so...he's the one who gave birth to me?" Aiden had questioned in a voice deeply laced with sarcasm. It had earned her a hard blow to the back of her head.

"Don't you talk to me like that you ungrateful bitch! I am you're mother!"

_Some mother_, her mind snapped resentfully. Aiden had slowly got to her feet. "I'd be willing to bet that you can't even remember his name," she sneered. She had left before her mother could say one more hateful word to her.

Now that she was alone, Aiden had a chance to really study him without worrying about having her face pressed against the screen. So that was her father? Interesting man. Very dark looking. It didn't look like he was a very sociable person, which was fine by her. At least now she knew where she got it. How would he react if he knew he had a daughter? Aiden shook her head sadly. It was best not to think about that right now. She had too much to think about as it was.

She reluctantly turned off the television. Listening to make sure there were no noises coming from her mother's room, Aiden turned out the lights and climbed the stairs to her room. She was reaching for her doorknob when something crashed against the wall behind her. Aiden whirled around and gasped, her bright blue eyes widening with fright.

At the end of the hallway stood her mother's "friend." His beer stained shirt hung open over his bulging, grotesque stomach. Beady eyes filled with lust assessed her with growing interest, raking over her body. He lifted an arm, dragging the back of it over his mouth and grinning.

The hair on Aiden's neck stood on end. Her skin crawled and revulsion spread through her. The trembling started as diminutive tremors rippling through her and became larger with each passing second that he stared at her. She knew she should run – barricade herself behind her door where he couldn't reach her and yet…she couldn't seem to get her legs to move. Fear held her rooted to the spot.

"Hey there…sweetie," the man slurred. Sweat beaded in large dots over his forehead and upper lip. "Your ma got tired but I paid her a pretty large amount of money for a good time...and I intend to get my money's worth."

Aiden's breathing turned into harsh, terrified gasps. She quelled an alarmed squeak, reaching behind her for the doorknob.

"Take it easy on her Ed," her mother's tired, callous voice drifted into the hallway. "The freak is still a virgin."

Something menacing entered the man's dark eyes.

_Run Aiden! Now! _

Her mind seemed to finally grasp the danger of the situation. She heard the voice and obeyed it, spinning around, throwing her door open and quickly ducking inside. Her heart pounded with deafening thuds in her ears as she tried to shut the door. But Ed was much faster then she had given him credit for.

His massive bulk barreled into the door, sending Aiden's smaller form sprawling on the bedroom floor. Mind reeling with fear and a desperate need to get away from the disgusting man, Aiden scrambled backwards, her arms and legs refusing to cooperate and get her up off the floor.

"That's right darlin', Keep struggling. I like it when they're scared." Ed went down on his knee beside her, closing a meaty hand around her throat.

Panic swept through her and Aiden screamed, trying to thrash her way out of the man's hold. "Stop! Please…please don't," she cried, tears of dread rushing down her pale cheeks. "_NO_!"

His other hand came up, fingers like greasy, over plump sausages gripping at her shirt. He gave a vicious yank and the fabric ripped. The offending hand gripped her breast and squeezed painfully. Aiden cried harder, her throat raw.

"Mm, soft and tight…not at all like yer ma'."

She felt his hot, alcohol laced breath on her neck before his open mouth came down on her skin, wet and revolting. Aiden whimpered, fighting the urge to throw up. Ed moved to straddle her, pinned her hands above her head. She started to give up, started to watch the dream of escaping this place slip away. Then his knee landed on her tail.

Blinding pain shot through her, replacing the consuming fear. Spots swam before her eyes. Then something miraculous happened. The unknown fighter that has been trapped within her for years was set free. Her fist shot out, connecting with Ed's quivering double chin and sending him flying back into the wall. Awkwardly getting to his feet, Ed stared at Aiden. Beady eyes bugging out he bellowed, "You little bitch!" He made another advance on her.

Aiden was up in a second. She crouched low and growled deep in her throat. The sound stopped the lumbering fool in his tracks.

"What the hell is going on here?" Bernadette stumbled into the room; not bothering to tie shut the robe that hung over her aged, lacking figure. She glared at her daughter. "What did you do now, freak?"

Aiden gave them a feral smile. She may be a freak, but at least she was a freak that could protect herself.

"Answer me now!" Bernadette demanded.

Aiden slowly rose to her full height. She shook her head back and forth. Then she turned, grabbing the bag that was hiding under her bed. She had packed it last week and it had been under her bed, waiting. Before they could stop her, she leapt out the window onto the fire escape. Her mother's angry screaming sounded hollow in her ears as she climbed the ladder to the roof. Once there, she ran to the other side, her shoes slapping against the pavement. Freedom was almost hers. She could practically taste it, sweet and full of promise.

At the ledge she paused, dragging in a deep, ragged breath. Lord, it was a long way down! But Aiden knew she could do it. She had been working on this for months. Yes, flying was going to be a piece of cake. Besides, her father and the rest of those men at the tournament could do it. So could she.

The wind dried her tears and cooled her fevered skin. She wanted a shower more than anything right now, but that would have to wait. She took a deep breath, stepping onto the ledge. Closing her eyes, Aiden focused. She was rewarded when her feet left the ledge and a sense of weightlessness overtook her. With a small, triumphant grin, she opened her eyes. Crystal blue orbs glanced at the ground far beneath her. Ahhh...freedom. Nothing could possibly feel this good. Clutching her torn shirt over the gentle swell of her breasts, she flew in the direction of Satan City…her new home.


	2. The New Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or its characters and make no profit from the writing of this fic. I proudly claim Aiden as my own character.

**Chapter 2: The New Girl**

"Gohan. Hey! Earth to Gohan!"

"Huh?"

Slowly coming out of his dazed state, Gohan shook his head and looked down at the perky blonde standing beside him. She narrowed her eyes and gave him a knowing smile. "I bet you were thinking about Videl, weren't you?" Erasa teased.

"Um...yeah," Gohan mumbled distractedly.

But that's not was his mind was on at all though. It should have been. Videl was his girlfriend of almost a year now. She'd been on a vacation in Africa with her mother for the past two weeks and would be returning sometime in the middle of September. He should have been missing her, thinking of her, wishing she was there. But he wasn't.

All day he had been preoccupied by unfamiliar Ki signature. It was weak, almost as if the owner of it were dying. But at the same time it was unique. So unique that he couldn't stop thinking about it. He wanted to find the person, help them if they needed it. It was distinctively Sayian. There was no doubt about that. A fact which excited him, yet worried him at the same time. Hopefully whoever it was didn't pose a threat at all. He didn't think they would, or even could for that matter.

"She'll be back soon Gohan, don't worry. Just a couple more weeks," Erasa chirped, her hand alighting upon his arm.

Gohan opened his mouth to reply when something caught his attention. Through the mass of students crowding the halls of SCU, he caught a flash of dusty lavender. Trunks? What was he doing here? He was supposed to be in class at the high school. A second glance proved that it wasn't Trunks though. It was a girl. She moved through the crowd, head bent, and lavender hair a few shades darker then Trunks' cascading down her back. Half of it had been pulled back and a light feathering of bangs brushed her forehead, hiding her eyes from view. She wore a simple, navy blue sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up and a pair of faded flare blue jeans. Gohan couldn't manage to tear his eyes away from her.

He watched her stop in front of a locker. She lifted a hand to the combination lock, and then paused in the action, her head lifting. She turned and her crystal blue gaze met his. Light pink stained her cheeks and a tiny smile pulled at her lips.

Gohan's breath caught. She was beautiful. Not in an obvious way but her eyes – they were so startling and framed by a perfectly shaped face that was a little on the pale side, but gorgeous none-the-less. He shyly returned her smile and the adorable pink flush darkened slightly.

"Gohan? Gohan!"

Startled, Gohan turned back to Erasa. "Huh? What?"

Erasa tossed her short blond hair and gave him a disgruntled look. "What is your deal today? You've been acting like a zombie all morning!"

"Maybe his mommy didn't leave him a note in his lunch bag," Sharpner spoke up. He'd been lounging against the locker beside Erasa, looking over his meticulously manicured nails in a bored manner. He tossed his head a little to force the long strands of blond out of his eyes and grinned maliciously. Gohan ignored him and glanced back at the girl, but she was gone. Disappointment filled him as he stared at the spot she had once been. _Who was she_, he wondered.

"Gohan, you have to snap out of it. We're going to be late for class."

"Sorry Erasa," Gohan said with an apologetic smile. He turned his full attention to her. "I guess I'm just really out of it today."

The blonde nodded in understanding. She probably thought he was still thinking about Videl. Not even close. He cast a final, longing glimpse down the hallway, wishing he could at least catch one last look at the mysterious girl, but she was nowhere in sight. With a sigh he followed Erasa to their next class.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

The bell for class rang; its shrill toll echoing down the emptying hallways.

"This is wonderful. First day of class and I'm late. Why did I not see this coming?" Aiden muttered under her breath. She looked down at her schedule. Room 201. Where in god's name was room 201? She moved down the hallway, from one door to the next door and finally breathed a sigh of relief when she found her destination only moment into her search. Feeling a little nervous, Aiden opened the door and slid inside. Heat immediately infused her face as each set of eyes focused on her.

"Miss Aiden I presume?" The professor, a kind looking man in his mid thirties asked.

Aiden offered a half-smile and swallowed her apprehension. "Yes sir. I'm sorry I'm late. I had trouble finding the class," she murmured. She self-consciously tucked her hair behind her ear.

The professor smiled. "That's fine. I got lost on my first day too. Please, have a seat. I believe there is one left next to Mr. Son." He pointed to a row in back and Aiden followed the gesture. Immediately the shyness returned. It was him - the man from the hallway that had been staring at her.

Aiden nodded her thanks and slowly made her way up the steps thinking over and over in her mind _please don't trip, please don't trip, please don't trip_. Journey successful, she wordlessly sat down in the empty seat. Was he looking at her? Should she see if he was? Aiden folded her shaking hands in front of her and stared straight ahead.

"Okay, now that everyone is present and accounted for why don't you all take out your books and turn to chapter one."

Aiden groaned softly, resisting the urge to pound her head in frustration on the desktop. She had been too busy the entire week, finding a cheap but suitable, furnished apartment, a job, buying everything but schoolbooks. How could she forget?

"You can share mine," a voice said softly beside her.

She turned and for the second time that day found herself lost in deep pools of ebony. Was it even legal to look that good? "Th-thank you," she managed, with a light smile.

The man smiled back and pushed his book closer to her. "My name is Gohan, by the way."

"Aiden," she murmured, looking down at the book and following along as the professor read.

Minutes into the reading, Aiden forgot that she was sharing the book with the incredibly handsome Gohan. She went to turn the page at the same time as Gohan and their fingers brushed. Something passed between them, something deep and exhilarating. Aiden's breath caught. She raised her eyes, not at all surprised to see Gohan staring intently back at her.

A trace of a smile crossed his features, shy and uncertain. Slowly, his fingers brushed hers again, moving up over her knuckles in a soft caress. Aiden sighed. She suddenly wanted to lean closer to him. What was he doing? A better question, why was she reacting so strongly to his touch? She didn't even know who he was!

"Mr. Son. This is English/Lit. Not palm reading 101," the professor warned in an amused voice. Many students snickered and Gohan and Aiden jumped apart, swiftly looking down to hide their embarrassment.

After her face had cooled considerably, Aiden risked a curious, sideways glance at Gohan. He looked just about as confused by his actions as she was. His brows were drawn low over his stunning, dark eyes. His lips were turned down in a small frown of concentration.

_What are you thinking Gohan,_ she wondered.

The bell rang, effectively interrupting her thoughts. She quickly gathered her things and pushed her chair back. It would be wise to get out of there now before she did anything stupid. She couldn't think straight. It was him. Something about Gohan caused her to feel things she had never felt before. It was a little frightening. She stood, the legs of her chair scraping the floor. "Thank you for sharing your book with you Gohan," she said with a kind smile. She turned away and quickly made her way down the steps.

"Aiden, wait!" Gohan called, but she ignored him and practically ran out into the hallway.

The walls seemed to close in around her as she pushed her way past the mass of students. Panic started to seep through the edges of the confusing emotions already running rampant within her. Maybe college had been a bad idea. She wasn't used to so many people. The school she had gone to had been small and only a few students had gone there. Like Aiden, they had mostly kept to themselves. But here, there were so many people. Too many.

She decided right then to take the rest of the day off and return to her apartment. She didn't have her books anyway. What was the point of staying? After running into yet another person, she reminded herself to look up while walking. Two teens walking towards her immediately commanded her attention. Hers and every other girl they happened to pass though she was sure she was the only one feeling intimidated.

One of the teens had spiky black hair and eyes of the same color. He wore simple jeans and a white shirt that clung to his torso like a second skin. He looked familiar. The other was slightly taller. His lengthy lavender hair hung down over penetrating blue eyes. He was just as built as his companion, wearing jeans and a black shirt under a blue jacket. They both moved quickly, their movements and faces clearly reading agitation.

Aiden ducked her head as she passed them. Her arm brushed against the taller teenagers arm. Something happened and although she didn't understand it, she felt it – thick charge, straight from his arm into hers. She staggered to a complete stop, whipping around. The boy did the same. His eyes narrowed as he studied her, then went wide in disbelief.

"Trunks! Are you coming or not?" his friend asked in a near shout.

He hesitated, taking one step toward her, then turned away. Beyond what she would consider confused, Aiden started down the hallway in the direction she had been going - away from the two teenagers, away from Gohan, away from her classes. She pressed a hand to her forehead. Who was that boy? Why did she feel as if she knew him? Could she possibly ask herself any more questions today?

Too immersed in her own thoughts, Aiden didn't notice that the crowd of students had thinned considerably, leaving behind only a group of young men loitering by the lockers near the restrooms. One of them, tall with shoulder length, straight blond hair glanced up and grinned, purposely stepping in front of her. She ran right into his solid chest and gasped. "I-I'm so sorry," she stammered, taking several steps back.

"You're the new girl right?" he asked. He pushed his hair back and assessed her with cold eyes. "Why aren't you in class new girl?" His friends laughed at the question as if it were the funniest thing they had heard all day.

"I'm going home. If you'll excuse me-."

She tried to move around the group but the others shoved away from the lockers and formed a wall, blocking her way. Her gut twisted painfully and a wave of apprehension slammed into her. She looked behind her, but the hallway was empty. Her heart sank.

"You might as well stick around, new girl," the blonde drawled, eyes roaming over her. "Be sociable. Meet my friends."

Aiden didn't even have a chance to cry out for help before he wound an arm around her shoulders and clamped his hand over her mouth.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Gohan!"

Closing his locker, Gohan looked up, seeing his younger brother Goten and their friend walking toward him. "Goten, Trunks? What are you guys doing here?" He waved to Erasa, letting her know to go on without him. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

Goten smirked. "You used to skip out of class all the time, Mr. Saiyaman. Didn't you think we were capable of playing a little hooky? Besides, you know why we're here." Goten's cheerful disposition quickly slipped away.

Gohan nodded. "Do you think we can trust them?"

"Whoever they are, they're dying. We need to at least try to help them."

"It was her," Trunks spoke up, coming to a stop beside Goten.

The two demi-Sayians turned to look at Trunks. "Her who?" Goten asked.

"The girl in the hallway. The one I ran into with the long purple hair."

"Aiden." Gohan muttered a curse under his breath and started down the hallway. It was relatively empty, most students already in their classrooms. "Are you sure it was her?"

"Yeah." Trunks followed closely behind Gohan and threw a worried look at Goten. "I could see it in her eyes when she looked at me."

"What exactly happened?" Gohan did not slowing his pace. He moved faster, feeling panic settle in the pit of his stomach as the familiar feel of Aiden's Ki flickered dramatically. If that was in fact Aiden's Ki signature he didn't want to waste a second getting to her. She was weak, much too weak.

"I'm not sure how to explain it. Her arm brushed mine and we both turned at the same time. We were staring at each other. I felt...I felt like I should know her somehow." Trunks shook his head. "It was strange."

"Sound like it," Goten muttered.

Gohan focused in on Aiden's Ki signature, alarm filling him when he realized how much lower it had been then before. _Hang on Aiden_.

Rounding the corner, Gohan cursed again upon seeing Sharpner and his buddies crowding the hallway. Great, that was the last thing he needed right now – Sharpner and his attitude. He was about to turn away when he heard a feminine whimper come from somewhere in the middle of the group. "Aiden."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Choking on her fear, Aiden struggled against the hands holding her. It was Ed all over again. Ed multiplied by ten. She kicked out blindly at one of the young men and he went flying back against the lockers on the opposite side of the hall, denting the heavy metal and falling unceremoniously to the ground. Unfortunately it was only one. There were still others surrounding her and her energy level was running dreadfully low. Tears burned down her cheeks. They only amused the cruel group of jerks.

_I think it's time to give up dear,_ Her mother's voice echoed insensitively in her mind.

A sudden harsh cry broke through the callous laughter of the men and Aiden looked up, relief flooding her. Standing before her, in the place where the crowd of men had once stood were Gohan and the two teens from earlier, bodies sprawled unmoving around them. Sharpner still stood, his hand gripping her arm tightly.

"Let her go, Sharpner. Now," Gohan demanded, his eyes dark with the promise of pain.

"Christ, man. I was just having fun with her. She's fine." Sharpner released her and Aiden slumped to the ground. "See?"

Unconvinced, Gohan growled and drove his fist into Sharpner's face. He slammed into the wall of lockers directly behind him, the sound ringing dully in the hallways, then slumped to the ground.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," Gohan muttered. He stepped over Sharpner's unconscious form and crouched next to Aiden. "Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out to the trembling girl.

Aiden jerked back and immediately blushed. "I'm sorry. I..I didn't mean to-."

Gohan offered her a tender smile and gently placed his hand on her arm. She was freezing. "It's okay."

Clumsily getting to her feet, Aiden started to move back away from her rescuers. Her eyes darted nervously over her attackers as if she expected them to make a quick comeback and finish what they had started.

"I have to go," she murmured. She made it a foot, then gasped and fell back to the floor, clutching at her stomach and dragging in quick, panicked breaths.

Gohan was next to her as soon as she fell. His arm went around her. "Aiden, you have to let us help you," he said, tilting her chin so that he could look into her eyes.

Aiden shook her head. "I don't need help. I'm fine." She tried to stand up again and cried out. The flushed color quickly drained from her cheeks and she reached out, grasping at Gohan's arm.

"No , you're not fine," Gohan murmured. How was he going to make her understand? The straightforward approach wasn't at all what he wanted to resort to but at this time, it didn't seem like he had much of a choice. "Aiden…you're dying. You have to let us help you."

She jerked out of his grasp and stared at him with wide eyes. Shaking her head, she tried to push him away. "Why…why would you say something like that?"

"Because it's true. We know what you are. You're a Sayian. You're like us. We can sense your power Aiden. That's how we know what you are. That's why you need to let us help you."

Aiden looked up at the two teenage boys standing on either side of Gohan. Both of them nodded their agreement to Gohan's words and Aiden's eyes filled with tears. "No!" She screamed, forcing herself to get up despite the mind numbing pain. "I am NOT dying!" She moved away from them, gritting her teeth. How far could she make it? Deep down she knew they were telling the truth but still, her first instinct was to deny them, to live despite the fact that her body was shutting down on her.

Gohan got to his feet and watched her cautiously. "Aiden-," he tried once more.

"NO!" She yelled. And that was the end. Her energy drained from her so fast that it made her head spin. She collapsed, hitting the tiled floor hard.

Once again, Gohan was there, collecting her tiny frame in his strong, capable arms. "I can help you," he whispered, catching one of the many tears streaming down her face with the pad of his thumb.

She resisted him for only a moment. Her eyes closed, her head lolled to the side. Trust him…don't trust him. She didn't have many people in her life that she could trust. And Gohan…he was so nice. Looking up at her hero, Aiden gave him a sad smile. "But I...I just got here," she said, working the words out past the lump in her throat.

"And you'll stay here if I have anything to say about it." Gohan cradled her small body against him and looked at Trunks and Goten. "We need to get to Bulma's. Fast."

They offered small nods of agreement. Wasting no time, the three quickly exited the school and took to the skies. They were at Bulma's in record time, throwing open the door and marching inside.

Bulma came out of the kitchen and her aqua eyes widened. "Why aren't you boys in school? And who is that?" she demanded, perching her hands on her hips.

"No time mom," Trunks said, gently taking a hold of his mother's hand and pulling her down the hallway to the lab. "The girl is sick. She needs your help."

"Why didn't you take her to the hospital?"

Goten shrugged. "We couldn't really."

"Why not?"

"Because she's a Sayian," Trunks said, trying to keep up with Gohan.

Bulma gasped and yanked her had free. "What? How is that possible?"

Goten once again shrugged. "Your guess is as good as ours. All we know is that she needs help. She's dying Bulma."

That was all it took to get the beauteous scientist to jump into action. She hastened to the front where Gohan was, carrying the pale female in his arms. "What happened to her?" she asked, placing a hand over the girl's forehead and then checking for her pulse.

"I'm not sure. She's new at school. I've been sensing her Ki all day but I wasn't sure what to do about it. I couldn't tell it was her right away. Trunks is the one that figured it out. When we found her, she had lost most of her strength. I don't know what happened to make her so weak." Gohan looked down worriedly at the half conscious woman in his arms.

Bulma frowned. "I can tell you what's wrong," she muttered, opening the door to the lab and ushering everyone inside. She motioned for Gohan to set Aiden down on the bed in the corner and immediately started prepping an IV. "She's severely malnourished. That's why her body is giving up on her." Bulma gently brushed lavender hair away from the girl's eyes. Lids opened to reveal a startling shade of blue and Bulma had to smother a sudden gasp. Those eyes...they were so familiar. "Honey, I need you to tell me something, and be honest." The girl nodded. It was obvious that the simple motion wasn't an easy one for her to make. "Do you have an eating disorder of any kind?"

A slight frown marred Aiden's brow. "No. It-." She swallowed hard. "It's nothing like that."

Bulma nodded. She wasn't going to try to pry any more information out of the child. Not until she was well again. She carefully inserted the IV needle into the girl's hand and placed a strip of tape over it to secure it.

"Is she going to be okay Bulma?" Gohan asked.

Sighing, Bulma looked up at the handsome demi-Sayian. Just like his father - worrying about everything. "It's hard to say right now Gohan. I'm sure she'll be fine though. You said she was a Sayian, right? If she is, then healing shouldn't be too much of a problem. I'm sure she'll be fine after we get some food in her and get her healthy again."

A small beep sounded and the lab door whooshed open, revealing a very annoyed Sayian Prince. Striding into the room, arms crossed over his chest in a well-known, arrogant pose, Vegeta walked up to Bulma with every intention of demanding yet another gravity room when he saw the girl. He stopped, staring in shock at the brown appendage hanging over the side of the bed and swaying sluggishly back and forth. "You've got to be kidding me." He muttered.

Once again Aiden opened her eyes. She stared at Vegeta for a moment then a small smile curved her full lips. "Hello father," she whispered before fully giving in to unconsciousness.


	3. Daughter Of Royalty

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DBZ and make no profit from the writing of this fic.

**Chapter Three **

**Daughter of Royalty **

Bulma's mouth gaped open in shock as she watched the girl slip into unconsciousness. She had spoken in a soft voice, barely audible but Bulma had not missed a word of it. The girl had called Vegeta father. Closing her mouth, she turned her aqua gaze to her husband. "Poor thing must be delirious," she murmured.

Vegeta grunted, staring down at the girl. Delirious? He doubted it. She may be sick to the point of death but those crystal blue eyes had been clear and knowing when she had started up at him. She also looked far too much like Trunks for him to easily dismiss her words. But how?

It took some thinking, some digging far back into the years of his life before Bulma, before Kakarott – the first years on this planet. His brows furrowed as he started to remember a small town in the middle of nowhere. There had been a friendly blond at the bar buying him drink after drink until he had become so intoxicated that all he remembered after that was walking up next to the woman.

"Shit," he muttered, running a hand over his face. "Would you boys give us a moment?"

Curiosity piqued but knowing better then to go against Vegeta, especially in a situation like this one, Gohan, Goten and Trunks left the room, the door shutting with a click behind them.

Once they were alone Bulma turned to him. Her eyes narrowed in speculation. "What's going on Vegeta?" It was more a demand then an actual question.

"First thing first woman. I may adore that sweet ass of yours but if you so much as get close to screeching I will make sure that sitting on it will be almost impossible for well over a week, got it?"

Bulma nodded, secretly pleased by his words. Compliments from Vegeta were rare and often crass. She would take them when she could get them.

"And remember," he continued. "This happened before I even knew you."

"Vegeta…what are you saying?"

Moving to the side of the bed, Vegeta looked down at the girl. She slept soundly now, her hair fanning around her. "Look at her Bulma. Who does she look like?"

Bulma studied the girl for a moment. She was short and would, given the opportunity, have a very petit figure even if she were muscular. She tilted her head thoughtfully, then finally saw it. Her hand flew to her mouth. Now she knew why the girl's eyes had looked so familiar! "She...looks like Trunks," she whispered. "So what she said…it's true?"

Vegeta nodded. He glanced up at his wife, glad to see that she wasn't angry with him. "I was in some no-name town having a drink in the bar and thinking up ways to destroy the earth and of course Kakarott." Bulma smiled and shook her head at that comment. "There was a woman sitting next to me buying me drinks. I slept with her. I was too drunk to remember anything but I did wake up next to her in the morning." God, he was almost terrified to look at Bulma now. He was sure she'd be furious.

"What makes you so sure that she's yours," Bulma asked, her voice curious but not angry.

Vegeta jerked his head up, surprised to see Bulma watching him thoughtfully. "She's a Saiyan for one. She looks like our son. And...I just know."

Bulma was silent for a moment then she smiled and reached across the bed to take his hand. "I believe you Vegeta." She looked down at the sleeping girl and frowned.

_Ah, now here comes the angry screaming,_ Vegeta thought with a smirk.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "You think you know me so well," she muttered, reading his thoughts. "But you're wrong. I'm not angry. I was just wondering what happened to the poor thing. She's extremely malnourished. Her heart is struggling to keep her alive. I know it's horrible for me to think that her mother...I mean," She paused and drew a breath, shaking her head. "I don't even know the woman."

Bulma carefully peeled back the fabric of the girl's sweater to see just how thin she was. "You don't think that her mom-." Bulma's voice drifted away as she stared down in horror at what she had revealed.

Not only was the girl frighteningly thin but her entire body was a map of fading bruises and ugly, horrible cuts and scars.

"Oh God."

"I think that answers your question." Vegeta growled, rage filling him.

Bulma saw her husband's control snap and quickly came around the bed, grabbing his arm. "Vegeta, calm down. You don't know that it was her mother who did this. It could have been anyone. The only way we're going to find out what happened is from her and that's not going to happen right now. So just cool it, okay?"

Vegeta closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. When he opened them again a trace of humor flashed in their depths. "When the hell did you become so gutsy?"

Bulma smiled. She slid her arms around her husband's trim waist. "I've been living with you for the past seventeen years, haven't I? It was either toughen up or hold a pillow over your face while you slept," she joked.

"Very funny."

"Okay." Leaning up she gave Vegeta a quick kiss. "I'm going to go see if we have any more blankets around here. Stay with her?"

Vegeta nodded. Once Bulma disappeared he turned back to the girl - his daughter. She was beautiful in her own right, even with her body being in the state it was. Beauty and innocence – could the two things still co-exist in a world where it was okay for someone to hurt a young woman so horribly? A sudden frown creased her brow and she made a plaintive whimpering noise, twisting her head to the side.

Vegeta reached over and gently took one of her small hands in his. Instantly the frown disappeared. The girl sighed and relaxed, a trace of a smile upon her lips. Her actions were enough to ease any remaining doubts that the girl was his daughter.

Behind him the door slid open. Vegeta inclined his head in a silent greeting to the three young Saiyans when they entered, only briefly raising his gaze from his daughter. "I don't suppose any of you would know her name?"

"It's Aiden," Gohan said, standing on the other side of the bed opposite Vegeta. "What did Bulma say?"

"Nothing good." Vegeta pushed his hands through his short black hair in frustration. "What are you two doing here anyway? I thought you had school?"

"Yeah. We just skipped one class. We're going to head back soon," Trunks said, starring worriedly at his father. "Dad…what's wrong," he questioned in a cautious voice.

Vegeta threw his son a humorless smirk and gestured tiredly to Aiden. "Trunks, meet your sister."

"WHAT?" The three voices shouted simultaneously.

Vegeta's smirk was replaced by a fired glare. The three demi-Saiyans glanced at the sleeping Aiden and quickly offered sheepish apologies. Trunks moved to stand beside Gohan and looked at his father. "How?" he asked.

"If I ever hear of you doing anything like this it won't be me you're dealing with, it will be your mother," Vegeta growled.

Trunks' eyes went wide and he nodded.

"Before I met your mother, there was another woman. She was nothing to me. Just some needy female who got me far too drunk and now I have a daughter and you have a sister." The explanation was far too simple for something so complicated, but none of them wanted to be the one to pry for more information from Vegeta.

"No wonder I felt so strange when I bumped into her," Trunks murmured, staring down at a woman who could have very easily been his twin if someone wasn't looking close enough to notice the small differences. "What wrong with her?"

"She's sick. We're going to do what we can to help her. Then...if everyone agrees to it, we'll offer her a home here as a part of our family." If anyone was surprised by Vegeta's words, they didn't show it. "I highly doubt she wants to go back to where she came from anyway."

"What makes you say that?" Gohan asked.

"Ask yourself if you really want to know the answer to your question."

The tone of his voice should have warned Gohan that some things were best left unknown but Gohan's curiosity was eating at him. He tried to remind himself that he didn't know her but that fact just didn't matter to him. Finding out who she was and what had happened to her, that's all that mattered. "Yeah. I do," Gohan said, holding Vegeta's cold stare.

The older Saiyan's eyes narrowed then he shook his head. The sound of a metallic hiss filled the room as the door slid open and Bulma walked in, toting an armload of blankets and an extensive first aid kit. "What's wrong now," she asked, irritation edging her words.

"The boy wants to know why she wouldn't want to return to where she came from," Vegeta answered.

Bulma released a frustrated sigh and threw her load of blankets on an empty table. "Alright. You two," she pointed to Trunks and Goten. "School, now. And Vegeta, I want you to go over to Goku's and get Chi Chi. Lord knows I'm going to need some help feeding all of you and taking care of Aiden. Gohan-."

"I'm staying here."

Bulma shook her head, watching the others leave. "You should be at school, Gohan. Your mom's going to freak out when she sees you here."

"I'm not going," Gohan said softly. His dark gaze remained fixed on Aiden. "Not until I know that she's going to be okay."

"Gohan...I really don't think you should be here for this," she tried once more.

Gohan turned to Bulma and gave her a sad smile. "I feel like it's my fault. I was sitting right next to her and I never even realized." He looked down at Aiden again. His chances of saving her could have been better if he would have just figured it out sooner.

"Gohan-." Bulma laid a hand on his shoulder, sighing when she saw the determination burning in his dark eyes. "Fine. But I warned you."

She turned away from Gohan and put her full concentration on Aiden. She reached over and brushed the long bangs away from her face. "Aiden?" she called softly.

Slowly, the girl's eye lids opened, revealing tired looking crystal blue eyes. She stared at Bulma for a moment then looked past her at the tall demi-Saiyan who had come to her rescue in the hallway at school. "Gohan?"

"I'm right here Aiden." Gohan moved around the bed to stand next to Aiden and get out of Bulma's way. His hand unconsciously took hers. She started to smile but then her features twisted in pain.

"Am...am I still dying?" she whispered.

Gohan shook his head. "No. We got you here in time. Bulma's going to help you get well. You just have to trust her, okay?"

Aiden glanced warily at the blue haired woman but nodded.

In return, Bulma smiled. "You're not afraid of needles are you?" she asked, thinking of Goku's needle phobia. The girl slowly shook her head. "Good. I'm going to give you something that will ease the pain and help you sleep. Is that okay?"

Relief swam in Aiden's eyes as once again she nodded and Bulma carefully made the injection, then dabbed at Aiden's skin with a cotton swab. The calming drug took effect almost immediately and Aiden's eyes drifted shut. Her breathing became the deep even breaths of slumber.

Bulma moved away from the bed to wash her hands and put together some things she would need. She wasn't a doctor but common sense told her what she must do. Some of those cuts looked only days old and seriously needed to not only be cleaned but bandaged decently as well.

Gohan watched Bulma, his dark brows lowering with curiosity. "What's all that for," he asked when she returned to the bedside with a small tray of peroxide, cotton swabs and a thread and needle.

Bulma only gave him a fleeting look and said, "I warned you Gohan," before she cautiously pulled Aiden's sweater off the sleeping girl.

Normally, seeing a girl in this state of undress would have embarrassed Gohan but all he could do was stare in horror at the lacerations and bruises that seemed to cover the girls starved body. The damage that had been done to her was far worse than he had even imagined. He was unable to tear his gaze away from the morbid sight.

Bulma had already set to work, cleaning one large gash that went from underneath Aiden's breast down the length of her side. "None of us knows what happened to her so getting angry and going on some big revenge kick is pointless," she murmured absently while she worked.

Gohan remained silent. He had never seen anything like this before. Sure, he'd seen things get blown up, he'd seen his friend and family die, but he had never seen this kind of abuse. It was a different kind of horror, one he couldn't for the life of him understand.

Bulma looked up from what she was doing and shook her head. Gohan had gone completely pale. Staying here would not do him any good. "Gohan, why don't you go wait for your mom and dad to get here?"

Wordlessly, he nodded and got to his feet, leaving the room. Once out of the lab, sickness settled in the pit of his stomach. Who could have possibly done such a thing? It couldn't have been her family...could it? Gohan ditched that idea. Bulma has said they knew nothing of Aiden's situation so there wasn't anyone he could place the blame on. He really wished there was though.

He walked into the living room, sat down on one of the richly upholstered couches and stared straight ahead. The afternoon sun shone brightly through the large bay windows but it did nothing to improve his mood. A vision of Aiden's small, mistreated body flashed in his mind and Gohan's stomach lurched. He wrapped his arms around it and leaned forward. Taking deep, even breaths he tried to block out everything he had just seen.

He had no idea how long he sat there with his bleak gaze on the dark beige carpet. The slam of a door followed by several hushed voices broke him from the trance he seemed to have fallen into. He sat up and turned around to see who was there.

Vegeta walked in the room followed closely by Gohan's father and mother.

"How is she?" Vegeta asked.

Something flashed briefly in the Saiyan Prince's eyes. Sorrow, regret maybe? Gohan had no idea but he knew better than to say anything about it. Instead he shrugged his broad shoulders. "Bulma gave her something for the pain. She's-." He swallowed hard, trying to think of how to word his next sentence. "She's taking care of the rest now." He didn't need to elaborate. Vegeta knew what he was talking about.

"Gohan! What are you doing here? Why aren't you in school young man?"

Gohan winced and gave his irate mother an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry mom. A girl at school needed my help."

Chi Chi's mouth dropped open and she stared at him in disbelief. "You skipped out of school for a_ girl_!"

"Lay off him woman," Vegeta snapped, taking everyone by surprise. His tone, partnered with a glare far more hostile than any Vegeta had used before quelled any further arguments from Chi Chi. "The boy saved my daughter. You should be proud of him, not screeching at him."

"Guys...what exactly is going on?" Goku asked.

"Vegeta has a daughter. She'll be staying with us until she's fully recovered and hopefully longer then that if she chooses to."

The small group looked up as Bulma entered the living room. She looked utterly exhausted. Her blue hair hung straight, lacking its usual volume. Her eyes were bloodshot and dark bruises had formed underneath them. She had obviously been crying.

Vegeta went to his wife. He raised a callused hand and cradled her face in his palm. "Aiden?"

"She's sleeping peacefully," Bulma murmured, leaning into his hand.

"What about you?"

Bulma gave her husband a weary smile and kissed his thumb as it passed over her lips. "I'm fine. I just-." Her smile disappeared and she drew an unsteady breath. "Who could bring themselves to hurt a child like that? I never thought it could be as bad as it was but I was wrong. Not an inch of her was left untouched by whatever monster did that to her." Bulma ducked her head as her eyes filled with tears.

Vegeta pulled her into his arms and ran his hands in slow, soothing circles over her back. "Hush woman. She's safe now."

Gohan's anxiety grew as he listened to Bulma's distraught words. He got up and walked over to her, ignoring the curious looks he was receiving from his parents. "Bulma?" he questioned softly.

Bulma turned her head to him and forced a smile, dashing the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Hey Gohan. What's up?"

"Would it be alright...can I go see her?"

Bulma regarded him curiously for a long moment before nodding her consent. "Yeah. Sure."

The young Saiyan thanked her and started down the hallway. He knew everyone was watching him. He could feel their questioning gazes boring into his back. They were probably all thinking the same thing. What about Videl? He should have been thinking the same thing…but he wasn't. He should have felt guilty, but he didn't. Why didn't he?

Gohan's thoughts ran wildly as he approached the door to Bulma's personal lab. He pushed a button beside the door and it slid open, then the thoughts stopped and all he saw was her.

He walked slowly to where she laid, her small body covered with blankets. She looked peaceful in her sleep. It made Gohan wonder when the last time she had experienced true peace was.

"Hey Aiden," he murmured, taking a seat in the chair beside her bed. He stared down at her pale face, wondering what it was that seemed to draw him to her. Granted she was beautiful, but it was something else, something that went far beyond simple attraction, and something Gohan couldn't even begin to name.

His gaze wandered down to the one hand that peaked out from underneath the blankets. The IV was still there, giving Aiden the nutrients that she needed to recover. His eyes returned to her face and he was surprised to find her watching him. "You're awake."

When she didn't respond he leaned closer to her noticing that he eyes were glassy and unfocused. "Aiden?" he called, cautiously brushing a hand over her brow.

Aiden wrenched away from his touch. Her lips parted to form a word he could not hear then her eyes glazed over with complete terror. "No…" she muttered, shaking her head back and forth. "Please don't. Please don't hurt me."

"No one's hurting you," Gohan insisted, confused by what was happening. "Aiden, what's wrong?"

It was like she didn't hear him. Didn't…or couldn't. Gohan quickly realized that she was still sleeping and, from the looks of it, having some kind of nightmare.

Her body gave another violent jerk. Pulling her hands out from under the covers, she held them up as if she were trying to ward of some unseen attacker. "NO!" She cried, struggling in the confining folds of the blankets.

Gohan began to panic as he watched Aiden become more and more frantic.

"Don't touch me! Get off...GET OFF!" Tears poured down her cheeks. "Someone help me…please help me," she sobbed.

Gohan jumped out of the chair he was sitting in. "Aiden, snap out of it!" He started to reach for her but immediately stopped, remembering what had happened last time. She started to rip at the IV. Her pleas became desperate, ripping at Gohan's heart. He needed help. Running to the door he leaned out into the hallway. "Bulma! Come here, quick!" He yelled, then turned and ran back to Aiden's side.

"Gohan, what's going on?" Bulma asked, running into the room. Vegeta, Goku and Chi Chi were right behind her. Bulma rushed to the bed and stared down at the thrashing girl, horrified by the cries pouring out of the girl's mouth. She gently grabbed Aiden's wrists and the girl screamed, pushing herself away from Bulma.

She was crying in earnest now, huge sobs racking her frail body. "Please don't let him hurt me mama…please!"

Bulma's lips thinned in anger but she would not allow herself to be ruled by the emotion. In clipped, detached tones she gave out orders. "Chi Chi, be a dear and pick the boys up from school."

Considerably pale, Chi Chi nodded and left the room.

"Gohan, hold onto Aiden. Vegeta, help him."

Gohan glanced warily at Bulma. "Are you sure about-."

"I said hold her down!"

The two men moved to either side of the bed and grabbed a hold of Aiden's arms and shoulders. Her hysterics intensified. She fought against them, trying to twist free from their strong grip, all the while begging her imaginary enemy to stop.

Bulma turned away from the scene, forcing back the angry tears that clogged her throat. "Goku, please grab her legs before she kicks someone," she said as she walked across the room to a large stainless steel desk that ran the length of the wall. Goku went to do her bidding and Bulma opened the door of the cooler that had been installed underneath the desk. Cool air and the smell of medical concoctions assailed her. She quickly grabbed the container that she needed and a syringe then closed the door and returned to her patient.

"Now hold her still," Bulma ordered, filling the syringe. She gave it a quick flick with her finger and pushed out a small amount of liquid to rid the cylindrical tube of bubbles, then injected the drug into Aiden's system.

"What did you give her?" Gohan asked as Aiden immediately started to relax.

Bulma tossed the empty syringe into a nearby wastebasket and sighed, dragging her hands through her lifeless hair. "A strong sedative. Hopefully it will calm her down for a few hours."

All three men slowly released Aiden, afraid that she might start to panic again. Bulma pulled the blankets back up around her and used a damp cloth to sponge away the perspiration and tears streaking Aiden's face. Once everything was seemingly back in order, Bulma glanced over at Gohan.

The demi-Saiyan's stance was rigid; his hands were clenched in tight fists at his side.

Bulma placed a hand on his arm. "Gohan. Are you okay?"

He shook his head. He was far from okay. What he had just seen was extremely disturbing and painful. Rage filled him. He was furious with whoever had done this to her, whoever broke her spirit and caused her so much pain. And he was angry with himself for not being able to help. Without a word, her turned and left the room.

He walked out into the hallway and acted without thinking, slamming his fist into the wall. The plaster broke and crumbled, his bright blood smeared some of the broken pieces but it wasn't enough. A hand grabbed his shoulder and he spun around. "What do you want Vegeta?"

The older Saiyan stared at him and Gohan could see his own anger reflected in the dark Prince's eyes. "Follow me. We're going to get this out of our systems."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Three hours later, after the sun had sank into the horizon, Vegeta called quits to their brutal sparring session. He landed on the ground, bruised and battered but feeling much better than he had earlier.

Gohan landed beside him, breathing heavily. The golden aura surrounding him subsided and his blond hair faded back to its original black. He swiped at the blood trailing down his face from the gash on his forehead, then muttered a quite, "thanks."

Vegeta gave a curt nod of his head. "I needed it just as badly as you did kid."

"Do you think she'll ever tell us who did it?"

Vegeta shrugged, turning and walking back to the house. "For all I know she might not tell us anything. She might not even want to remember it. We'll just have to see what happens."

They approached the house in silence. The front door swung open, throwing a beam of muted yellow light over the yard and Bulma stepped out, waving at the two Saiyans. "Gohan, Aiden's awake. She wants to see you," she called out.

Gohan's heartbeat picked up a little and a feeling of nervousness sifted through him. He glanced at Vegeta, worried that he may be angry that Aiden had asked for him and not her father.

"You heard the woman. Get inside," Vegeta stated calmly, giving him a knowing smirk.

Gohan nodded and jogged ahead into the house. He smiled at Bulma as he passed her.

"Feel better," she asked, only a minor amount of worry creeping into her voice.

"Much," he answered. "I'm sorry Bulma. I guess I just didn't handle it as well as I thought I would."

Bulma nodded tiredly. "I know the feeling. Hey, stop in the kitchen with me. I'll throw together a light meal for Aidan and you can bring it to her."

"Sure." He followed her into the kitchen and waited patiently while she threw together a quick meal consisting of a bowl of soup and a small sandwich. She handed it to him with a glass of milk and shooed him out of the kitchen. "See if you can get anything out of her, but be careful about it."

"I'll try," Gohan said. He wasn't promising anything though. Aiden had been through so much. The last thing she needed was an interrogation.

Bulma smiled at him. Understanding shone in her aqua eyes. "Go on hun. I'll keep your parents out of your way," she said with a wink.

"Thanks Bulma." Gohan turned and went down the hallway, anxiety creeping up on him with every step he took. By the time he reached the door his palms were sweating and his stomach felt like one big knot. He shook his head. Not even Videl had made him this nervous. What the hell was wrong with him?

He- paused in the doorway and studied Aiden. She was sitting, propped up by a small mountain of pillows. Her face was less pale then it had been before. She sat with her hands folded in her lap, staring vacantly at them. Her long lavender hair had been taken down and brushed to a fine sheen. She looked like some kind of ethereal imp that had been dropped into this world and was confused about how she'd come to be there.

Gohan knocked softly on the doorframe and her head snapped up. A smile transformed her features making her more stunning then she already was. His heart slammed against his rib cage. He suddenly found it very difficult to breath. "Hi," he said lamely once he had found his voice.

"Hi," she replied, a gorgeous pink staining her high cheekbones.

Her husky voice had a calming effect and Gohan's edginess started to fade. He crossed the room and sat down in the chair next to her bed, handing her the plate of food he had brought for her. "I come bearing gifts," he said, setting the glass of milk on the bedside table.

Aiden quickly accepted the plate, eyeing the food ravenously.

"Take it easy," Gohan warned. "If you eat too fast you might get sick."

She nodded, picking up the sandwich and taking a generous bite. "This is good," she said after swallowing. "So does every girl that shares a book with you get this kind of special treatment?"

"Nope. Just you," Gohan answered with a grin.

Aiden laughed softly and continued eating. Amused, Gohan watched her as she devoured her meal with gusto, taking each bite as if it was her last. It was obvious that she hadn't intentionally starved herself. Someone else had. Anger flared briefly but he tamped it down, reminding himself that there was nothing he could do about it right now. He allowed Aiden to finish her meal, only slightly surprised that she had finished everything. She was a Saiyan and he knew firsthand how much damage a Saiyan could do when food was involved.

When she was finished she handed him her plate and leaned back against the stack of pillows.

"How are you feeling?" Gohan asked as he set the plate aside.

"Like I'm not dying anymore," she whispered. "I...I don't know how to thank you. I don't even know you and you saved my life."

Gohan moved to sit beside her on the bed and took the hand free of the IV in both of his. "You don't have to thank me. You needed help so I helped you." A tear slipped down her cheek and he reached up to brush it away. "Why are you crying?"

Aiden drew a shuddering breath and looked up at him, pain and sorrow swimming in her vivid eyes. "I didn't know how bad it was. I had no idea how close-." Her voice broke and she took another steadying breath. "I didn't think I was dying. How…how did you know?"

Gohan smiled sadly at her. "See your tail?" She nodded. "I used to have one. It means that you're part of a very powerful race called Saiyans. When shown how, we can read peoples ki's, their life's energy. I had been sensing yours all day. So did Goten and Trunks. Trunks is actually the one who knew it was you."

Aiden gave him a funny look. "Trunks?"

"The one who had hair the same color as yours…kind of. Can you remember?"

She rested her forehead in her hand. Her head was starting to pound painfully. "A little. Everything's a little blurry." She looked up at him again and frowned. "What happened to you? Did that blond guy…"

"No!" Gohan exclaimed, fighting the urge to laugh. Like Sharpner could ever hurt him. He touched the cut on his forehead, feeling the dried blood there and smiled ruefully. "No, that's from Vegeta. We were both pretty angry so he decided we should get it out of our systems by fighting."

Aiden's face went white and her eyes widened in shock. "Did you say...Vegeta?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"Yes." Gohan said answered. Maybe he had gone too far too fast.

Aiden looked down at the blankets, her eyes darting back and forth. "He's...my father," she whispered, speaking more to herself then Gohan.

"I know."

Aiden slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. "You know?"

He nodded. "You called him that when you saw him."

She felt like her already dreadful world had just been turned upside- down. Her breathing became ragged and she clutched at the blankets with one hand. "I called him that? He's here? Oh god-."

"Aiden, calm down," Gohan said, alarmed by her sudden reaction.

She shook her head. "I didn't…I didn't come here to see him. I didn't want to be a burden to him! I don't want his money...I don't expect anything!" she cried, desperate to make Gohan understand that seeing her father was a mistake. How could this happen? How could everything go so wrong in such a short amount of time? Her father probably didn't even want her, just like her mother hadn't.

Suddenly strong arms were around her, holding her gently. The action was so unexpected and felt so incredibly good that Aiden gave in to her overwhelming emotions and began to cry soft, heart-wrenching sobs. "I don't want anything from him," She repeated in an anguished whisper.

Gohan ran his hands through her long hair. "I know you don't Aiden," he murmured.

He waited for the sobs to stop, offering her as much comfort as he could. Gradually her body ceased trembling and the cries turned into tiny sniffles. He pulled away from her and used his fingers to gently brush strands of hair away from her tear-streaked face. "Listen, I don't know what you heard about Vegeta, but he's a really nice guy." He stopped and re-thought his words. "He's done his share of being…um..difficult but he's changed a lot. I'm sure he'll understand. You just have to be honest with him."

Aiden sniffled and her eyes filled with hope. "What if he doesn't even believe me though?"

"He's already accepted you as his daughter. He knows Aiden."

Something in her mind refused to believe that it was going to be that simple. Life was never that easy. It was hard, and unforgiving and it could kill you. "But you really think he'll understand," she asked.

Gohan cradled her face in his large hands, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm positive he will. Give the guy a chance Aiden. Meet him for yourself. I'll even go get him if you want."

Her eyes flickered to something behind him and she went still. "He's already here."


	4. Introductions and Adjustments

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ and make no profit from the writing of this fic.

**Chapter Four: Introductions and Adjustments **

Aiden slowly released her hold on Gohan and leaned back, pushing herself into the pillows while wishing with all of her might that she could just disappear. She suddenly felt very small. Cold ebony eyes stared at her, unnerving her.

Gohan sensed the change and knew Vegeta was the reason for it. He could feel the Saiyan Prince's Ki signature by the doorway. Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear, "Trust him," then pushed himself off the bed and left the room, nodding to Vegeta as he passed him.

Aiden was horrified. Trust him? How could she trust a man she had never met? Especially one that was staring at her with such hard, distant eyes. He took a step forward and her heart lodged itself in her throat. Another step, another. He was walking slowly. She had no idea why. She knew he was walking to her, why didn't he just hurry up and do it already? Maybe he would hit her just like her mother had. More than likely. She readied herself for it, tensing her muscles for the jarring impact. She was certain that it was going to hurt much more then when her mother did it.

Vegeta's brows lowered in confusion as he approached his daughter. He slowed his steps, watching as she visibly retreated farther into the pillows. Stopping beside the bed his puzzlement grew as he saw the way her muscles tensed and her arms came up in a protective gesture over her chest.

"What are you so afraid of," he asked, his rough voice breaking the dense silence that filled the room.

She winced. That he was not expecting. She reacted to his words as if he had struck her. "What did they do to you?"

Aiden slowly opened her eyes. Bright orbs of intense blue stared up at him in bewilderment. "You...you're not going to hit me?"

Vegeta's sighed. He should have known that she expected him to do such a thing. She'd been abused all her life. It was probably impossible for her to think that there were people out there who didn't hurt innocent children. He pulled up a chair and sat down, never taking his eyes from her. She, in turn, did not look away from him. Cautiously he reached out and placed a calloused hand over hers. "I would never do anything like that Aiden. It's obvious that someone did though. Who was it?"

She noticeably relaxed but the look of disbelief on her face remained. "My…um...my mother," she answered numbly.

Fury flashed in his eyes and again she sank back, trying to get away from the anger she saw. Frustrated, Vegeta moved from the chair to the bed, sitting beside Aiden. "I told you, I would never hit you. I do want to show you something though." He reached down and grabbed her hand in his, bringing it up between them. "Do you feel that?"

Aiden stared in wonder at her hand clasped tightly in his. A foreign sensation filled her, calming her. It was like a light had been turned on within her and its warmth was now slowly spreading through her. "What is it," she asked in awe.

"The bond between a Saiyan and his child."

Startled, Aiden regarded him with wide eyes. Then she shook her head, almost frantically. "I didn't come here expecting anything from you," she quickly muttered. "I don't want anything."

Vegeta smirked, rolling his eyes. "I know that brat."

"But-."

"But nothing," Vegeta said, interrupting her. "You are my daughter. Even if I wanted to I couldn't deny it. Kakarott would never sleep with some woman he hardly knew and aside from him I'm the only other Saiyan that's old enough to have a daughter your age. You do know what happened, don't you?"

Aiden leaned back against the pillows, her hand still in his grip. "All I've heard is my mother's side. I never believed it though."

"Why not?" Vegeta asked, allowing their hands to drop between them. He loosened his hold but she kept her hand where it was.

"I know what my mother is," she stated simply, her eyes growing dark. "She's a prostitute. Like she would ever stay with a man long enough for him to leave her."

Vegeta's gaze lowered to her stomach pointedly. "She did this to you?"

Aiden nodded. She all of a sudden wanted to tell him everything – every nightmare, every fear. She wanted to purge herself of it. And although the feeling was foreign to her, she trusted him. "She never wanted to have me. She made it very clear that I was nothing more than a servant in her house. I...I saw you on TV once. She grabbed me and screamed that you were my father. The father that had left us."

"I didn't even know. I spent one night with your mother and that was only because she got me incredibly drunk first."

Aiden laughed but the sound was hollow, devoid of any actual humor. "Now that I believe." Her eyes dropped to her lap. "One night..she brought home one of her customers, some rich fat slob. He attacked me and tried to-." Her voice faltered and she took a steadying breath, feeling tears sting the back of her eyes. "He tried to rape me. When he was doing it his knee landed on my tail. It hurt so much and made me so angry. I hit him. I hit him hard. I never even knew I could hit someone like that. Then I ran away and came here. I just wanted to start over. I wanted to be away from there. I didn't want to impose on you."

Vegeta forced back the blinding rage that had come from hearing his daughter say that some man had tried to force himself on her. If he ever found that man, he would pay dearly. But now she needed to know that she was welcome here. "Aiden, you are not imposing."

The girl nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. They were silent for a moment and then she raised her eyes to his. Tears spilled over her cheeks, glistening in the harsh florescent lighting. "Why? Why are you being so kind to me," she whispered.

Vegeta reached over and placed a hand lightly on her cheek. It was something he had only ever done to Bulma but his heart went out to this girl. She had lived too long in pain and abuse. She deserved to know that there was better. "Because you are my daughter. And because you should have a better life then the one you've had."

"I..I-." She never made it any further. Her stammering was cut off by the sob that tore from her throat. Vegeta immediately pulled her into his arms despite the uncomfortable feeling that came from human contact with anyone either than his wife. He rubbed her back soothingly while she wept. He said nothing, just allowed her to cry out all of her pain.

It seemed like hours had passed before the tears finally stopped coming and the sobs subsided to an occasional jerky breath. Aiden relaxed against Vegeta, turning her head to the side and resting it on his shoulder. It felt so good and so safe to be in those big warm arms. Almost as good as it felt to be in Gohan's. She tapped her finger lightly over the splatter of tears on his shirt. "I'm sorry."

The dark haired man shrugged, biting back any smart comments he was going to say regarding the opposite sex. She didn't know him well enough yet. He could just imagine how badly her already frail emotions would suffer from his usual callous manners. "Just do me a favor and don't tell anyone how nice I'm being," he grumbled, a smirk pulling at his lips.

Aiden smiled and nodded. "I promise."

Releasing her, Vegeta stood. He placed a hand on her shoulder, gazing down into her wide solemn eyes. "I know you had no intention of doing so, but I'm glad you ended up here. I hope you'll consider staying." He dropped his hand to his side, turning to leave. "I'll get Bulma in here to see if you're well enough to be transferred to a different room."

He hesitated, not wanting to leave her side. Strange sensations twisted in his gut and he grimaced slightly. He was feeling strangely protective all of a sudden. She called out his name, stopping him from any further movements.

"I..I really hope this isn't too much to ask but I was kind of wondering if you could also ask her for...some more food?"

Vegeta smirked. Now that was definitely his daughter. "I'll see what I can do brat." He worded his sentence carefully, making sure that she knew his use of the word 'brat' was more of an endearment than anything else. Finally he left the room, walking down the hallway and into the kitchen where Bulma and Gohan were, sitting at the table and drinking steaming tea from large blue mugs.

"What did you find out?" Bulma asked, setting aside her mug.

Vegeta pulled up a chair and sat down next to her stretching his legs out underneath the table. "She just confirmed our suspicions. It was her mother. She also fed her some bull shit story about how I left them."

Their reactions to this information were entirely different. Gohan's gaze became dark and shuttered - focused on the tabletop. His mouth thinned in anger but he remained silent. Bulma, on the other hand, became outraged. "Why that little bitch! What the hell kind of mother-." Her voice drifted off when she noticed Vegeta staring at her, one brow arched in amusement.

"Calm down woman. Aiden's a smart girl," he said the last bit with a hint of pride. "She didn't believe a word of it."

"Well, that's good." Bulma picked up her mug and took a sip after blowing on the liquid to cool it. "I suppose her mother is the reason she ran away to the city then."

Fury flashed in the Saiyan Prince's eyes. "There were other reasons." His gaze traveled to Gohan. He knew what he was about to say would enrage the boy. Vegeta wasn't blind. He saw the way Kakarott's brat looked at Aiden. It was only going to be trouble for the kid, what with that Chichi clone he was seeing. But maybe something would come from this. Besides, Videl was the daughter of Hercule. That in itself was a good enough reason to doubt the relationship. A hero of the earth dating the daughter of a man who had stolen his victory without even a hint of remorse - it was sickening.

Vegeta shook his head and sighed. This was not going to be any fun. "One of her mother's clients attempted to rape her."

Gohan was up and out of the kitchen before Vegeta could even blink.

"Damn it," the Prince muttered, forcefully pushing his chair back and going after the boy. He caught up with him in the hallway. He grabbed the collar of the young Saiyan's shirt and whipped him around, slamming him up against the wall.

Gohan winced as his head connected with the hard plaster. "What the hell-."

"Were you just going to walk in there and demand the girl tell you who did it?" Vegeta growled.

"I don't know!"

"When Aiden is ready to tell you, she will. Until then don't say a word to her about it."

Gohan nodded, unwilling to argue further. It was pointless anyway. It wasn't like the most stubborn man he had ever met was actually going to give in and let him interrogate his daughter. So instead he focused on calming his anger.

Vegeta's mood shifted suddenly and he chuckled, shaking his head. Gohan's eyes narrowed to an angry glare. "What's so funny?"

"You're in way over your head boy," he stated simply, then turned and walked back to the kitchen.

Gohan was lost. What exactly had Vegeta meant by that? He sighed, frustrated for more than one reason and ran his fingers through his short black hair. Whatever the older Saiyan had meant it didn't really matter. All that mattered was Aiden. But that wasn't right, was it?

He relaxed against the wall, head bent in thought. He should have been thinking about someone else, his girlfriend Videl. He should have, but he wasn't.

"Gohan?"

The young demi-Saiyan looked down the hallway to where his mother stood with a worried smile pulling at her lips. "Yeah mom?"

"We're going home now. Will you go get your brother?"

"Sure." He pushed off the wall and walked to the end of the hallway, pausing as he passed the door to Aiden's temporary room. He would say goodbye on his way back. He continued down the hall, going the back way upstairs and taking each step slowly.

Gohan stopped at the first door on the right, Trunks' room, and knocked. Trunks opened it seconds later and nodded. "Hey Gohan."

"Hey." He looked over Trunks' shoulder and saw Goten sitting on the floor looking up at him expectantly. They had been playing video games. The controllers sat forgotten amid the remains of microwave pizza and several empty pop cans. "Time to go."

"Alright," Goten said, standing and brushing miniscule crumbs from his jeans.

"Is Aiden awake yet?" Trunks asked anxiously.

Gohan nodded once. "Yeah. She just woke up a while ago."

"I'd like to meet her. Do you think she'd mind?"

"No," Gohan said, smiling down at Trunks. "I think she might actually like to meet you."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Aiden took a healthy swallow from the tall glass of milk Bulma had brought her, using it to wash down a forkful of spicy chicken Lo Mien. As before, her stomach tried to reject sustenance. Thankfully her will was stronger and the nauseous feeling quickly eased. She set the empty plate aside feeling more full then she ever had in her life. Now all that was left to do was wait.

Bulma had run a few tests when she had come with the food. Aiden had been vaguely uncomfortable in the woman's presence but found she was nice enough and silently allowed her to take what she needed. All the while Bulma had spoke in a soft, reassuring tone, explaining to her what she was doing and quickly promising that the blood tests were not being taken to check her DNA. She knew without a doubt, as well as everyone else who had seen Aiden, that the girl was Vegeta's daughter.

So now she sat and waited for Bulma to return with the results. She was hoping for news that meant moving to a more comfortable room. She never had liked hospitals and sure it may have been just a room in someone's house, but the smell and look was close enough to resembling a hospital room for her.

The door abruptly whooshed open and Aiden looked up. She was expecting Bulma but wasn't at all disappointed when Gohan walked in, two younger and very familiar looking men trailing behind him. "You never come empty handed do you?" Aiden joked lightly with a small, welcoming smile.

"I just might someday. Don't be disappointed if I do," Gohan said, crossing the room to her bedside. He remained standing, not wanting to push his luck by sitting down on the bed and possibly startling her. "So how did it go?"

Aiden stared up at him, raw emotions that she had only ever heard of before filling her. She didn't know what to do with them. She knew he caused most of them. How strange. Pushing them aside for the moment at least, she smiled fondly, remembering her discussion with her father. "You were right Gohan," She murmured softly. "He is a very good man."

"I'm glad to hear that." He turned to cast a quick glance at the silent teens behind him. Poor Trunks. He looked so nervous. But who could really blame him? Aiden had made him pretty nervous too. Especially with those wide, blue eyes and that warm, shy smile.

Videl! He should be thinking about Videl. Once again he couldn't. Not even for a second. He looked back down at Aiden and his troubled thoughts left him as he lost himself in those deep pools of blue. "I just came to say goodbye."

"You're leaving?" Aiden asked, disappointment coloring her voice.

Gohan's smile deepened. She was upset that he was leaving. Oddly, it pleased him. "Yeah. But I can come back tomorrow if you'd like. I'll bring your homework."

"Okay. Thank you Gohan." She blushed slightly and her eyes darkened with an unreadable emotion as she added, "For everything."

Gohan swallowed hard. He had an overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and spend the night just holding her. As hard as it was, he resisted, knowing it was ridiculous to even think of such a thing. "Anytime."

Going against his better judgment, he leaned close to Aiden, not surprised when she stiffened. He whispered, "That's your brother Trunks. He's a nice guy so don't be afraid of him." He backed away before he had a chance to follow through with his previous urge and took a step backwards. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Aiden looked up at him, her eyes glowing. "Tomorrow then. Goodnight Gohan."

The demi-Saiyan waved one last time and turned to leave, patting Trunks on the shoulder as he passed him and giving a few quick words of reassurance. Then the two were alone. Brother and sister, meeting for the first time. Silence hung in the room as they stared at each other, neither one sure of what exactly to say.

Finally Trunks spoke up, his nerves causing his voice to shake slightly. "Gohan said you might like to meet me. If this isn't a good time I can leave."

"No!" Aiden quickly said, lifting a hand as if trying to stop him. "You don't have to leave. Gohan was right. I did want to meet you. Please." She gestured to the chair beside the bed and he walked hesitantly forward. He slowly sank into the chair, resting his hands on the cloth-covered arms. Again he wasn't sure what exactly to say.

"I guess this is kind of strange for you," Aiden observed in a kind voice.

"A little. I'm sure it's strange for you too though."

Aiden shrugged. "It is. But I'm starting to think I don't mind it so much."

Trunks looked up at her, truly seeing his sister for the first time. He could see the years of pain, the wariness to trust. She looked so tired. "Before you came here..was it really bad?"

Aiden nodded slowly. It almost seemed like she was afraid to admit just how horrible her life had been. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her what had happened, but he didn't. He probably didn't even want to know. "So, um...are you going to be staying?"

"I'm not sure. Everything keeps happening so fast." She lifted her gaze to meet his. "Would it be okay with you if I did?"

"Yeah," Trunks replied without hesitation. "I've always thought having an older sister would be cool."

"Really?"

Trunks smiled at her expression of complete disbelief. "Sure. Just don't talk to me about your..um..girl problems."

Aiden laughed softly and Trunks congratulated himself on the small victory. "Come on Aiden, I'm serious!" he exclaimed with a pout, only making the girl laugh harder. "Promise you won't."

Aiden forced her smile into a firm line but her eyes still sparkled with amusement. "Never Trunks. I promise."

Trunks feigned a sigh of relief and slouched back into his chair. "Thank God!" Watching his new sister curiously he sobered, remembering the question he had been itching to ask her all night. "Hey Aiden. Earlier today, in the hall, did you-."

"Feel something when your arm touched mine," she finished for him. "Yes, I did. Maybe…" Her hand lifted from the blankets. She held it out to him, but only for a moment. Then she blushed furiously and let it drop back into her lap.

Trunks already understood what she was doing though. "No. It's okay. Give me your hand," he said softly, raising his own in front of her. She was uncertain, maybe even a little scared but ever so slowly her hand came up. He clasped it gently and smiled as the same warm feeling from earlier filled him.

Aiden's own full lips curved up in a tiny smile. "I thought it was only something between a Saiyan and his child. Well, that's what Vegeta said."

"I thought so too." Trunks looked up at his sister, buried underneath the pile of blankets and his grin deepened. "You know, my mom used to use this bond all the time against my dad when I was a baby. Every time I would start screaming for no reason she's shove me at him and demand that he fix it. Never failed. Every time I got near him I'd calm down. Mom never gets tired of telling me that story, no matter how many times dad insists it's not true."

Again Aiden laughed. It was a delightfully husky and contagious sound. Trunks found himself liking it and his sister very much. He suddenly felt very protective of her. Aiden may have been older but she still needed someone watching out for her. He gently squeezed her hand and said, "I'm glad you're here Aiden. I hope you decide to stay."

She squeezed back. "I think I will. You've all been so nice. I never even knew kindness like this existed." Tears collected in her eyes and Aiden silently cursed herself, wondering if the weakness would ever end. Thankfully Bulma saved her by choosing that moment to come back into the room.

"Oh! You two look so cute! I wish I had my camera on me." The blue haired woman gushed as she entered, a piece of paper clutched in her hand.

Trunks smirked and released Aiden's hand, leaning back in his chair. "Hey mom. What's that?"

"These," she said, pulling up a chair on the other side of the bed across from him and offering the pale girl a kind smile, "are Aiden's test results." She looked the paper over and nodded. "Everything came back fine. There were no infections, no diseases. Your Saiyan traits are starting to kick in. I'm not really sure why they didn't before but they are now, which means you'll heal quickly. Amazingly, your muscular structure is still intact. You had a small attack but the Saiyan in you is quickly taking care of that. All you really need now is some time to heal and feed yourself but all in all, you're healthy."

"Healthy enough to move?" The girl asked hopefully.

Bulma laughed and nodded. "Yes, healthy enough to move. I made up a room for you and left some clothes on the bed. They aren't much but they'll do until we can get some shopping done." Bulma stood and carefully removed the IV from Aiden's hand. With Trunks' help they got Aiden to her feet. "I've just got to put some things away real quick and we'll get you out of here, okay?"

Aiden nodded and leaned heavily Against Trunks. She was weak and tired and she hated it, but what could she do?

"Jeez, you weigh like..nothing," Trunks muttered. Aiden shot him a withering look and he smirked down at her. "Aww..don't be mad sis! We'll take care of it. Five square meals a day not including the snacks."

"And he's not kidding about that," Bulma said, coming back to Aiden's side and cautiously wrapping an arm around her thin waist.

They helped Aiden out of the lab and upstairs to a room colored in deep violets and greens. A queen sized sleigh bed of polished oak with a thick down comforter and several pillows sat against the far left wall. Angled in the corner opposite the bed was a matching vanity. The circular mirror was large and had delicate lilies etched along the curved bottom. But what Aiden loved most was the massive picture window. A dusty lavender sash had been draped over hooks in the corners that were made to look like clusters of silver veined leaves. The fabric pooled onto the soft green carpet.

The window, unmarred by paint chipped wood or rusted chicken wire, looked out onto a vast back yard with a smog free and, thankfully, building free horizon. Heaven. She had died and gone straight to heaven.

"Oh my god," she breathed, taking an unsteady step forward. Bulma's arm dropped away and Trunks led her further into the room. "It-it's beautiful. Are you sure it's mine?"

Bulma smiled fondly at the girl. "Yes. It's yours for however long you choose to stay. There's even a bathroom," she said, pointing to the door on the right. "We'll let you get settled and I'll send Trunks up later with a few things you might need. Maybe he'll make you one of his late night snacks."

"Hey! It's a dessert. Not a snack!" Trunks said, looking offended. "I put a lot of work into those things."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Yes. So much work goes into pulling an ice cream sandwich out of the freezer, drizzling it with caramel and chocolate and topping it off with whipped cream."

"It's the principle of the thing."

Aiden smiled up at her new brother, already finding herself quite charmed by his carefree attitude. "That's okay Trunks. I'm not really hungry right now but I'll take a rain check for sure."

"Is your stomach taking everything in okay?" Bulma asked, a worried frown creasing her brow.

Aiden shrugged thin shoulders and tried to smile. "It will take some getting used to I guess."

Bulma ran a critical eye over the young woman. She looked completely worn out. Poor girl. She had been through too much for someone her age. She needed a good mother figure in her life, someone to set straight the wrongs that had been done to her. Bulma just hoped that Aiden would allow her to be that person. Nothing hurt her more then to watch others suffer. "Trunks. Come on hun. Let's let Aiden get adjusted," she murmured softly.

Trunks nodded and looked down at his sister. "You going to be okay on your own?"

"Yeah." Aiden straightened, giving Trunks a brave smile as he dropped his arm. "I'll be fine."

"Okay." Trunks backed away and started to follow his mom out of the room. "I'll be back in a bit."

Aiden smiled and gave a quick nod, lifting her hand in a tiny wave as they left. She sighed and walked over to the bed, sitting down on it and clutching her stomach as a tiny cramp tightened the muscles. Hopefully her stomach would become used to food so that she would no longer have to deal with the pains of trying to keep it down.

Pushing herself off the bed, she walked to the bathroom, flicking on the lights and closing the door softly behind her. She went to the sink and turned the cold water on, watching it as it rushed from the spout and into the porcelain basin. Cupping her hands, she held them under the running water and leaned forward, splashing the cool liquid on her face and willing the cramps in her stomach to stop.

She turned the water off, grabbing a towel to dry her face with. 'Maybe a shower would make me feel better," she thought pulling off her bulky sweater and laying it on the counter. Slowly she raised her head and a horrified gasp lodged itself in her throat. Staring back at her with wounded azure eyes was someone she had not seen in a very, very long time. Herself.

So this is what people saw when they looked at her. Bruised skin clung to every rib, making her look more like a walking skeleton then a human being. The lacerations crisscrossing her body in angry reds made her feel like gagging. She could feel the bile rise along with her self-disgust. They had seen her like this. Her father, that nice woman, they had seen exactly how ugly she was. Had Gohan seen this? She groaned, tightening her fingers over the counter edge until her knuckles were white.

Anger that had been dwelling inside her for way to long clawed its way free and flowed through her veins. She started to shake uncontrollably, drowning in her own emotional turmoil. What must they think of her? Were they disgusted? They probably were. Who wouldn't be? And her mother was probably laughing. Happy to be rid of the "freak" that was her daughter.

Mind clouded by self-loathing and immense anger at herself and her mother, Aiden reached forward, her hand closing around a porcelain soap dispenser. She held the object in her trembling hand, staring at it as if she had never seen one before. Her thoughts ran in dangerous circles, sending her closer and closer to the edge. There was a moment of calm, of silence, then she snapped and the truth of what she was, what had happened to her came crashing down around her. With a desperate scream of denial, she pulled her hand back and sent the soap dispenser flying into the mirror.

The shattering noise filled the room and sparkling shards fell like rain, scattering onto the counter and floor. Aiden moved back, the glass cutting into her bare feet. She couldn't think. The only thing she could feel was an utter desperation to be someone else. Anyone but herself. Tears fell over her cheeks as she crawled into the bathtub, curling up into the fetal position and pressing herself against the cold tile wall.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"So I'm taking it you like your sister then?" Bulma asked her son, leaning back against the kitchen counter and watching him throw together one of his "desserts." She had decided after talking about it that one of those calorie-infested things would probably do her some good right now.

Trunks smile and looked up. "Yeah. She's really sweet. I think..I think we share a bond. Like the one dad and I have."

Bulma cocked her head to the side. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, when we first saw each other in the hallway at school, I kind of bumped into her arm, and there was this feeling." He paused, opening the refrigerator to grab the whipped cream and kicking it shut again. "We were just talking about it before you walked in. She felt the same thing. So we tried it out, same thing happened."

"That's strange," Bulma said thoughtfully.

Trunks shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I think it's kind of cool." He turned curious eyes to his mother. "Mom, why didn't Aiden's Saiyan traits kick in earlier?"

Bulma sighed. She had been trying to figure that out herself. It was amazing how fast Aiden's body was healing itself now that her true heritage was helping her, but why had it not helped her before when she truly needed it? "If I knew the answer to that it would make things much easier to figure out hun."

"So not a clue then, huh?"

"Not one."

Trunks nodded slowly and handed his finished creation to his mother. "Well," he said at length, "at least they're working now. The danger's past, right?"

"Yeah," Bulma murmured, smiling at her son. "Here, why don't you take these things up to Aiden? It's late and I'm sure she wants to get some rest." Bulma reached behind her and picked up the pile of things she had collected for Aiden laying on the counter. Mostly things she would need like a toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb, and a few other necessities.

Trunks gave his mother a hug and kissed her cheek before taking the armload of provisions and leaving the kitchen. He walked up the stairs slowly, his booted footsteps muted by the carpet. Halfway up something in the back of his mind started nagging him. And uneasy feeling crept into his stomach and he frowned. What the hell was going on? It wasn't an enemy but something was wrong. Yeah, something was defiantly wrong. A shattering noise broke the silence and his heart fell. "Aiden."

He ran the rest of the way, his heart lodged into his throat, each beat only increasing his fear. When he reached her door he threw it open, not caring if he broke the damn thing in the process. He crossed the floor to the bathroom and came to a dead stop. "What the hell?" he muttered, staring in disbelief at the jagged shards of glass scattered all over the floor. A plaintive whimper drew his attention to the bathtub and he swore softly.

There, pressed against the wall of the tub, was his sister. The glass had obviously cut her bare feet. Bright red blood was smeared over the ledge of the tub and pooled around her feet, slowly creeping towards the drain. "Aiden?" He took a step forward, glass crunching beneath his boots.

She lifted her head, staring at him with wide, haunted eyes. When she spoke her voice was hardly above a whisper. It almost never made it to his ears. "We...didn't have mirrors in our house."

"Jesus.." Trunks dropped the things his mom had given him on the floor and quickly walked to his sisters side, leaning over and taking her small body into his arms. He opened the closet next to the bathtub, grabbed a towel, and took Aiden back into the bedroom, setting her carefully onto the bed and brushing the clinging shards of glass free from her little feet. After he had wrapped them he took a good look at her.

The fact that she was only in jeans and a bra did nothing to faze him. He'd seen plenty of women in bikinis so it was really nothing to him. What did shock him was the fact that her starved body was covered in bruises and scars. Stitches ran from underneath her breast down her side, ending right before the waistline of her jeans. Yet there were others, faded, indicating that this abuse had gone on for several years.

She said there had been no mirrors. "Aiden, was this the first time you've ever seen-." He let the sentence hang, not feeling a need to elaborate.

She nodded, her head hanging in defeat. "I'm so ugly. What must they think of me?" she whispered miserably.

Trunks used his fingers to tilt her head up, brining identical orbs of sapphire to meet his gaze. "Whatever you're thinking, you're way off. None of us think that way about you."

"But-."

"No Aiden. Mom and Dad don't judge people like that," he said softly, trying to make her understand.

"What about..what about you Trunks?" she asked.

Trunks smiled and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Aiden, you're beautiful. Hell, if you weren't my sister I'd probably be thinking of different ways to hit on you." She looked doubtful so he continued, determine help her put the past to rest. "Listen, what happened, happened. It's in the past. And it doesn't make you any less of a person. All of these things, the cuts and bruises, will heal. What matters now is that you have a family that adores you and your past will never change that. Never." He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "We'll always be here for you Aiden."

She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Trunks stroked a hand over her silky hair, offering her all the comfort he could give. "Don't mention it." He leaned back and ruffled her hair, bringing a smile to her full lips. "You need to get some sleep."

She allowed him to take a look at her feet and wrap them in gauze that he had found in the closet. When that was done and she was changed into a baggy t-shirt and shorts, he tucked her in. "Rest now. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Aiden smirked, looking uncannily like Vegeta. "How are you going to do that? You have school in the morning."

"I'm going to talk mom into letting me skip so that I can spend the day with my new sister," he said with a wink.

Aiden smiled and curled up on her side, tucking the covers up under her chin. "I think she'll say yes to that."

Trunks nodded, getting to his feet. "I know she will. Goodnight Aiden."

"Goodnight Trunks." She watched her brother leave, the smile never leaving her face, even after her eyelids had drifted close and she fell into a blissful sleep. It was the first night in years the little Saiyan fell asleep truly happy.


	5. The Shopping Spree

**A/N:** Hey anyone still following this! This is a revamp of the original version. I read over it a lot and decided, in my 29 years of age…a LONG couple of years after starting this fic…that it really needed some fixing. And it really needed to be finished. The changes through the first eight chapters are going to be subtle, mostly because I didn't want to mess with it too much and I really like seeing the changes that have happened over the years in my writing.

If you've held on this long, you have my appreciation. I'm so sorry to leave you all up in the air but I'm going to fix that now hopefully. There were things I wanted to do with the fic that took a few years of convincing but without further ado…I'm finishing this baby!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DBZ and make no profit from this fic. I am looking for a beta however so if anyone wants to suggest someone or help me out, I'd really appreciate it!

**Chapter One: Escape**

The evening was silent. Blissfully so – a rarity in young Aiden Andrews life. Of course it wouldn't last soon. Her mother, Bernadette, would be home soon. She was out finding the next "meal ticket" to get her through the week on booze and cigarettes. Aiden reveled in the quiet atmosphere while she could as she moved the broom lazily over the kitchen floor, listening to the soft _scritch, scritch_ the bristled made over the aged linoleum. Her long, pale lavender hair was pulled away from her face and her too frail form was covered in a pair of simple jeans and a thick sweatshirt that hung over her. The effect was unflattering and she knew it, but she didn't care. She had no one to impress and the alternative…well, the alternative was far less appealing in her opinion.

A door slammed, followed by the obnoxious trill of her mother's bawdy laughter. Aiden looked up from her sweeping. Ice blue eyes stared coldly at the drunken couple stumbling their way over the threshold.

"Aiden, hun," Bernadette hiccupped. "Be a dear and do the dishes after you're done sweeping. Then you can get your scrawny ass to bed."

The man beside her, grossly overweight but obviously rich if the expensive suit and glitter of gold at his wrist were any indication, leaned over and whispered something in her mother's ear, sending the bleached blond woman into another round of ear splitting giggles. Then they were up the stairs and slammed into the seclusion of Bernadette's room. She was going to be entertaining yet another lust driven man this evening.

Aiden visibly shuddered and grabbed the remote from the kitchen table, turning the television on and pressing the volume button up several times. She took the broom to the closet and threw it in, her chocolate brown tail slashing the air irritable behind her as she turned back to the sink.

It was her birthday today. But did her mother care? No, she was too busy making her money off of men who could care less about her well being. Aiden was 20 now. That meant she had been her mother's maid for 20 years. The day she was born, oddly enough was the only day of her childhood that she could remember vividly. It wasn't normal for a child to remember that far back, but Aiden had never felt normal so the whole thing rather fit what she thought of herself.

She could remember how they had tried to hand her to her mother who was sobbing, screaming over and over again for them to take the child away. When Bernadette saw the tiny appendage protruding from Aiden's backside she had gone hysterical, labeling her daughter, her own flesh and blood, a freak.

Aiden bit back angry tears and brushed hastily at her dark lavender hair, tucking it behind her ear. She took a deep breath and reminded herself of the plan she'd decided on not so very long ago - the plan to get out of this hellhole and get as far away from it as possible. No more ungrateful "mother." Not after tonight.

"Again, crime has struck in Orange City. At 4:15 this afternoon a group of high school students were held at gunpoint by five men who demanded an outrageous sum of two million dollars in exchange for the hostages. Fortunately, the cities hero Saiyaman showed up and was able to put a stop to the threat before anyone was hurt."

Aiden glanced at the television, allowing a small smile to transform her hardened features as she watched a young man dressed in dark spandex and some kind of green shirt. A white cape flowed behind him as he gave the camera an award-winning smile. Sunglasses and a long white cloth tied behind his head covered what would be his most revealing features if anyone were to try to discover his true identity.

_Must be nice to be so carefree_, Aiden thought, going back to her dishes. The news wasn't all that important. She would be in the midst of it soon enough, hopefully by tomorrow.

A loud thud resounded from upstairs and Aiden turned the volume up even more, trying to drown out the offensive noises. Her tail wrapped itself around her too thin waist protectively. After tonight, she would never have to deal with this again.

Upstairs, doing her "job", Bernadette was oblivious to the fact that her daughter not only planned on leaving, but had been working, going to school, graduating, and had just been accepted into Satan City University. What better invitation did she need to escape the hell she was living in now? Yes, tomorrow would be the first day of her new life.

She finished the dishes and watched the water drain, then turned to shut the television off and immediately froze. Once again they were commending the hero's of the earth who had saved the planet from destruction when a creature named Buu had threatened their existence. In the background, arms crossed over a muscular chest, was a man whose face she would never forget.

The first time she had seen him she had been pouring her mother another glass of scotch when there he was, on the television, eyes as black as death and wearing a look that could have probably scared the hell most men. They had been doing a special on the World Tournament. Bernadette had grabbed her roughly by the neck and forced her to her knees in front of the television.

"Do you see him? Do you?" she had screamed, her voice slurred from the amount of alcohol she had sucked down. "That is the man who stuck me with a freak like you for a daughter! You want to be mad at someone...be mad at that asshole for bringing your sorry ass into this world!"

"Oh, so...he's the one who gave birth to me?" Aiden had questioned in a voice deeply laced with sarcasm. It had earned her a hard blow to the back of her head.

"Don't you talk to me like that you ungrateful bitch! I am you're mother!"

_Some mother_, her mind snapped resentfully. Aiden had slowly got to her feet. "I'd be willing to bet that you can't even remember his name," she sneered. She had left before her mother could say one more hateful word to her.

Now that she was alone, Aiden had a chance to really study him without worrying about having her face pressed against the screen. So that was her father? Interesting man. Very dark looking. It didn't look like he was a very sociable person, which was fine by her. At least now she knew where she got it. How would he react if he knew he had a daughter? Aiden shook her head sadly. It was best not to think about that right now. She had too much to think about as it was.

She reluctantly turned off the television. Listening to make sure there were no noises coming from her mother's room, Aiden turned out the lights and climbed the stairs to her room. She was reaching for her doorknob when something crashed against the wall behind her. Aiden whirled around and gasped, her bright blue eyes widening with fright.

At the end of the hallway stood her mother's "friend." His beer stained shirt hung open over his bulging, grotesque stomach. Beady eyes filled with lust assessed her with growing interest, raking over her body. He lifted an arm, dragging the back of it over his mouth and grinning.

The hair on Aiden's neck stood on end. Her skin crawled and revulsion spread through her. The trembling started as diminutive tremors rippling through her and became larger with each passing second that he stared at her. She knew she should run – barricade herself behind her door where he couldn't reach her and yet…she couldn't seem to get her legs to move. Fear held her rooted to the spot.

"Hey there…sweetie," the man slurred. Sweat beaded in large dots over his forehead and upper lip. "Your ma got tired but I paid her a pretty large amount of money for a good time...and I intend to get my money's worth."

Aiden's breathing turned into harsh, terrified gasps. She quelled an alarmed squeak, reaching behind her for the doorknob.

"Take it easy on her Ed," her mother's tired, callous voice drifted into the hallway. "The freak is still a virgin."

Something menacing entered the man's dark eyes.

_Run Aiden! Now! _

Her mind seemed to finally grasp the danger of the situation. She heard the voice and obeyed it, spinning around, throwing her door open and quickly ducking inside. Her heart pounded with deafening thuds in her ears as she tried to shut the door. But Ed was much faster then she had given him credit for.

His massive bulk barreled into the door, sending Aiden's smaller form sprawling on the bedroom floor. Mind reeling with fear and a desperate need to get away from the disgusting man, Aiden scrambled backwards, her arms and legs refusing to cooperate and get her up off the floor.

"That's right darlin', Keep struggling. I like it when they're scared." Ed went down on his knee beside her, closing a meaty hand around her throat.

Panic swept through her and Aiden screamed, trying to thrash her way out of the man's hold. "Stop! Please…please don't," she cried, tears of dread rushing down her pale cheeks. "_NO_!"

His other hand came up, fingers like greasy, over plump sausages gripping at her shirt. He gave a vicious yank and the fabric ripped. The offending hand gripped her breast and squeezed painfully. Aiden cried harder, her throat raw.

"Mm, soft and tight…not at all like yer ma'."

She felt his hot, alcohol laced breath on her neck before his open mouth came down on her skin, wet and revolting. Aiden whimpered, fighting the urge to throw up. Ed moved to straddle her, pinned her hands above her head. She started to give up, started to watch the dream of escaping this place slip away. Then his knee landed on her tail.

Blinding pain shot through her, replacing the consuming fear. Spots swam before her eyes. Then something miraculous happened. The unknown fighter that has been trapped within her for years was set free. Her fist shot out, connecting with Ed's quivering double chin and sending him flying back into the wall. Awkwardly getting to his feet, Ed stared at Aiden. Beady eyes bugging out he bellowed, "You little bitch!" He made another advance on her.

Aiden was up in a second. She crouched low and growled deep in her throat. The sound stopped the lumbering fool in his tracks.

"What the hell is going on here?" Bernadette stumbled into the room; not bothering to tie shut the robe that hung over her aged, lacking figure. She glared at her daughter. "What did you do now, freak?"

Aiden gave them a feral smile. She may be a freak, but at least she was a freak that could protect herself.

"Answer me now!" Bernadette demanded.

Aiden slowly rose to her full height. She shook her head back and forth. Then she turned, grabbing the bag that was hiding under her bed. She had packed it last week and it had been under her bed, waiting. Before they could stop her, she leapt out the window onto the fire escape. Her mother's angry screaming sounded hollow in her ears as she climbed the ladder to the roof. Once there, she ran to the other side, her shoes slapping against the pavement. Freedom was almost hers. She could practically taste it, sweet and full of promise.

At the ledge she paused, dragging in a deep, ragged breath. Lord, it was a long way down! But Aiden knew she could do it. She had been working on this for months. Yes, flying was going to be a piece of cake. Besides, her father and the rest of those men at the tournament could do it. So could she.

The wind dried her tears and cooled her fevered skin. She wanted a shower more than anything right now, but that would have to wait. She took a deep breath, stepping onto the ledge. Closing her eyes, Aiden focused. She was rewarded when her feet left the ledge and a sense of weightlessness overtook her. With a small, triumphant grin, she opened her eyes. Crystal blue orbs glanced at the ground far beneath her. Ahhh...freedom. Nothing could possibly feel this good. Clutching her torn shirt over the gentle swell of her breasts, she flew in the direction of Satan City…her new home.


	6. Her Mother's Slave

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DBZ and make not profit from the writing of this fic. Nor do I own anything having to do with the Nightmare Before Christmas. Thanks for reading!

**Chapter Five**

**Her Mother's Slave**

Gazing at the white cotton candy clouds as they passed lazily overhead, drifting silently across the vivid blue sky Aiden laid on her back amongst the grass, one arm draped over her stomach, the other pillowing her head, her eyes closed and her breathing deep and even. Beneath a chest that was just starting to show some real promise now that her system was getting the sustenance it had been denied, a heartbeat drummed strong and healthy.

She had been with the Brief's for two weeks now and although things had started out a little rocky she was now falling into a comfortable routine and adjusting very well to her new lifestyle. At least that's how Bulma put it. She'd put on a little over ten pounds in muscle as well as much needed body fat and in place of her usual pale pallor glowed healthy, honey colored skin. Her cheeks no longer sunk in and were infused with a natural and adorable shade of pink and her hair had a lustrous quality causing any woman who happened to see her to envy the long flowing locks…even if they were lavender.

_I don't know how I ever got so lucky_, she thought, dropping her arm to the ground beside her. She brushed her hand over the tips of the grass, feeling the prickly ends of the blades tickle her palm and fingers.

_You know how you got this lucky Aiden_, a voice said, echoing dimly through her mind. _Gohan saved you. He brought you here and it's because of him that you are still alive. _

Sitting up Aiden wrapped her arms around her denim-clad legs and propped her chin on her knees. She stared thoughtfully out at the horizon as her thoughts shifted to Gohan - the tall, black haired Saiyan with the adorable smile and smoldering ebony eyes. Ever since that night in her room when he had dropped off her homework thinking about him had been one of her favorite things to do. Although they hadn't gotten _that_ close again they had spent a lot of time together.

He would come over and study with her; sometimes they would stop by a small café about a block away from the college when their classes were over. He'd order a tall black coffee and she'd have a cup of chai tea then they would talk quietly like two lovers afraid to be found out. There were even times that he would team up with her in a face off against Vegeta. Of course when the fighting clearly became too strenuous for Aiden, Vegeta would instruct Gohan to take her outside and teach her the so-called mental aspects of her training. Things like flying, feeling out ki signatures and controlling her own ki, whatever that was. She was quick enough to learn it all but she was far from understanding it. She understood this whole "ki" concept about as much as she understood Gohan's feelings for her…which was not at all.

A pretty frown puckered her brow and she dropped her gaze to the red/gold leaves scattered about the wide expanse of green lawn. What _did_ Gohan feel for her? She had thought there was something but…what did she really know about intimate relationships and the emotions they involved? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She had never been in a relationship nor had she ever wanted to be in one. Or at least that was how she had felt before Gohan had come into her life. Now she was just…confused.

"Really confused," she muttered, flopping back down and closing her eyes.

The weather was surprisingly warm for October and the sun's rays caressed her skin, enticing her to doze, coaxing her to fall away from reality and dream about things sweet and pleasurable…like Gohan. But before she could fall into what had promised to be a very relaxing cat-nap the sound of leaves crunching beneath feet carried to her ears and not long after a dark shadow fell over her.

Opening her eyes Aiden squinted up at the handsome figures of Trunks and Goten. "Hey guys," she greeted them cheerfully, giving them a bright smile.

They sat down on either side of her, Trunks returning her smile with his usual friendly smirk and Goten with the trademark Son grin. "Hey Aiden. What are you doing?" her half brother asked.

"Relaxing. Why?"

"Well, we were wondering if you wanted to go shopping for costumes with us. The party's tomorrow and I'm pretty sure none of us has anything yet."

"Just you two?"

"And Gohan," the other demi-Saiyan said, brushing his fingers through his unruly black hair. "He's inside right now talking to Bulma. Poor guys been getting an ear full from mom all day. The second he got home from college she just ripped into him for letting 'non-school-related' crap get in the way of his studies. I felt bad for him so I invited him to come with. Get him out of the house and away from mom, you know?" Laying down on his side and facing Aiden, he propped his head on the palm of his hand and nudged her leg with the toe of his shoe. "So whaddaya say? Coming with us?"

Aiden closed her eyes again, appearing to think for a moment and then nodded. "Sure. But you have to help me up."

Springing to their feet the two helped her, pulling her up quickly. Goten caught a glimpse of what her shirt said and immediately burst out laughing. "Very nice," he said, pointing to the fancy dark purple writing scrawled across the front of her simple white t-shirt.

Glancing down, Aiden got a look at the word "Princess" upside down and smiled. "You like that? Trunks thought it was pretty hilarious…practically forced me to get it."

"It's funny _and_ it's the truth!" Trunks exclaimed in his defense. "How many girls do you know that can get away with wearing one of these lame shirts and have it actually be true, huh?"

Goten nodded. "You have a point Trunks."

The three turned and went into the house leaving the bright sunshine filled back yard behind and entering the dimly lit foyer. They found Gohan in the living room standing beside the couch and looking slightly irritated as he talked with Bulma. Aiden assumed it was his mothers constant nagging that had put him in his current state and quickly went to put a smile on his face. She hated seeing him upset.

"Hey Gohan! I hear you're going shopping with us," she said, giving him her most winning smile, one she had only discovered she owned a week ago. Amazing what a new life could do to you.

He turned to face her and the look of annoyance fell away, leaving in its place a shy smile and red cheeks. "Yeah. Anything to get away from mom. She's in a mood." Something flashed in his eyes, something distant and unreachable and for a brief moment Aiden could have sworn there was more to it then he was letting on. He and Bulma had been talking very quietly when they entered…talking in a way that two people do when they have a secret. Aiden highly doubted Chichi's quick temper was something to be secretive of. If it were, Goten wouldn't mention it as often as he did.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she murmured, brushing aside her suspicions. "Hopefully we can get your mind off of it for a while."

Gohan smiled and gave a shrug of his broad shoulders. "That would be nice. My ears are still ringing from all her yelling…can you fix that too?"

Aiden made a face and he laughed. "All I can really do there is suggest you buy some high quality ear plugs to wear whenever you're home," she said.

"Oh you two stop. Chichi's not all that bad," Bulma chided them, laughter sparkling in her own bright blue eyes. She quickly changed the subject, glancing over at Trunks. "You're going to take your jeep, right?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Well…drive careful you guys and don't get too gruesome with the costumes okay? I want to be able to at least recognize you."

"The whole point of Halloween is to not be recognized mom. That and candy," Trunks said, walking past her and giving her a quick hug.

"You know what I mean. And Aiden," she pulled the young woman into a warm, motherly embrace, "don't let these boys talk you into getting something you don't want. I know how persuasive Trunks and Goten can be it comes to convincing people to do things. And they're only ten times worse when they work as a team."

Laughing, Aiden hugged the woman back. "I won't. Promise."

The group of four left the house and went to where Trunks' blue jeep was parked in the driveway. Goten called shotgun leaving the cramped back seat for Aiden and Gohan. They squished in as best they could, Aiden behind Trunks and Gohan behind his brother. When their legs brushed they both blushed, muttered apologies and shifted in their seats. But the limited space didn't allow for much movement especially since two devious demi-Saiyans who knew exactly what they were doing had pushed their seats back, putting serious restrictions on the amount of legroom the older Saiyans were allowed.

After several failed attempts Gohan draped his arm over the seat and let his leg rest against Aiden's. "Well…I give up."

"It's okay," Aiden replied softly. "I don't mind." Her blue eyes studied him intently and she could feel her skin start to tingle pleasantly where his leg was pressed against hers.

Gohan had to use every ounce of his will power to keep himself from pulling her into his arms and kissing those sweet, full lips. She wasn't making it any easier on him by staring at him like that either. Giving in just a little to the overwhelming temptation Gohan smiled into Aiden's gorgeous blue eyes and moved his hand from the back of her seat to her shoulder.

In the front, checking out the action between Gohan and Aiden by way of rearview mirror, Trunks grinned and gave his best friends a thumbs up. He then threw the Jeep into reverse and pealed out of the driveway, eager to get to the mall and put the next step of his and Goten's plan into action.

Two hours later after they were all piled back into Trunks' jeep along with several loaded shopping bags, Aiden peeked into the orange and black striped bag in her lap to reconfirm that she had actually bought the costume Goten had helped her pick out. Colors of bright blue satin and black leather winked back up at her. She stifled a groan as she snapped the bag shut, fixing her gaze on the dark gray upholstered back of Trunks' seat and waiting for him to start the jeep.

"Halloween is the perfect chance to do stuff like this Aiden," Goten had said as he had handed her a blue satin corset with black lace at the edges. "That's why people love the holiday so much. They get a chance to kick back and be something they don't usually get to be." And all of that had sounded good to her…until now.

"So what did you get?" Gohan asked, leaning over and trying to look in her bag.

Cheeks burning with mortification, Aiden tightened her grip on it just as Goten whipped around in his seat, shooting a glare at his brother. "I thought we agreed on no one seeing each other's costumes until tomorrow."

Gohan sat back with a sheepish grin. "I know. I was just curious."

The engine softly roared to life and Trunks drove out of the parking lot, heading for home just as the sun started its slow descent into the lavender/blue horizon. When they reached Capsule Corp. he parked in the drive way and they all piled out of the jeep, talking excitedly about tomorrow night and of course…food.

"I told mom you guys would probably stay for supper since it's Friday. Hope you don't mind."

"Nope," the two raven haired Saiyan's said in unison.

Goten put his hands behind his head and turned around, walking backwards across the lawn. "So Trunks…we're hitting that haunted house before the bar right?"

"I can't believe you two are actually going to try getting into a bar," Gohan commented dryly.

"Try?" Trunks scoffed, looking amused. "Consider it done. We're now the owners of the best fake ID's I've ever seen. And what's the harm anyway? It's not like we're actually going to get hammered and risk alcohol poisoning or get behind the wheel and try to drive like some people out there. We're Saiyans…it would take a hell of a lot of liquor to get us even close to that kind of danger."

Aiden stared at her half brother in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Yup. Saiyan's have an incredibly high alcohol tolerance. Just ask dad about it. One time he actually counted how many beers it took him to finally catch a buzz. It's a pretty impressive number."

"Oh shoot," Aiden cried, coming to a sudden stop. "I forgot the makeup."

Reaching out and taking her hand Trunks gave it a gentle tug. "Leave it. We can get it in the morning."

"That's okay. I'll just run back and get it real quick. You guys go ahead…I'll be there in a bit."

Turning on her heel she trotted back to the jeep as the other three went inside. The blue plastic bag was lying under Goten's seat and it took her a while to actually find it. Once she did she made her leisurely way back to the house, swinging the bag gently and humming to herself.

"Got pretty lucky, didn't you?" a harsh voice called out behind her.

A gasp caught in Aiden's throat as the bag slid from her suddenly numb fingers and hit the turf with a muffled thump. Slowly she turned around, fear clawing like a desperate wild animal at her insides. "What are you doing here?" she asked her mother who stood at least a yard away, a cigarette dangling from her fingers.

"I could ask you the same thing. What did you do to get into such fancy digs, huh? Turn a few tricks?"

Suppressing a shudder of revulsion, Aiden narrowed a spiteful glare on Bernadette. "Leave," she said evenly.

Bernadette laughed, tossing her head back. "Whatsa matter sweetie?" she asked. Dropping her cigarette she crushed it beneath the toe of a knee high black boot and then straightened her short black skirt. "Don't want to admit that you're just like your mother?"

"I am _nothing_ like you," Aiden hissed. Her whole body was trembling now, consumed with dread. For the life of her she couldn't understand why. She was stronger now, the past few weeks had changed her. All of that should have stood out in her mind and showed her that she could handle this…and yet all she could see was a terrified girl huddled in the corner of a shabby apartment, shattered glass surrounding her, angry red welts up her arms and neck, her mother's outraged, drunken screams surrounding her as large tears tracked their way down her small pale cheeks.

"Nothing like me, huh?" Bernadette growled, taking a step forward. "You came from me Aidey. I own you."

"No one owns me."

Her mother cocked a brow at this and crossed her arms over her sagging chest. "Self-righteous little bitch you turned out to be. Tell you what…I'll get out of your face and leave you alone but…you've got to fork out fifteen hundred dollars kiddo. Fifteen hundred and I'm out of your life for good."

A clammy iciness swept over Aiden, making her feel small and empty. Fifteen hundred was all she was worth to her own mother? Used capsule cars were worth more than that.

"Its kinda your only choice here hun. Either you give me the money or I tell whatever rich snob you're entertaining in there what a diseased little slut you really are. Can't think of a single man who'd want a freak for his whore."

"I'm not a freak," Aiden said in a low, trembling voice. "And the only whore here is you!"

Bernadette's fist came down so quickly that she didn't even have time to think. It was a back handed punch - one of her mother's favorites - and the impact of her knuckles against Aiden's jaw sent the younger woman staggering backwards.

"You ungrateful bitch!" Bernadette hissed, grabbing hold of Aiden's arm and digging her nails into the yielding flesh. "Give me the money."

_You can fight her Aiden. You're stronger now! Stand up to her!_ The voice screamed its orders in her head as tears of fear and pain raced over her cheeks. But that demanding voice was so dim when compared to the childish one that sounded so terrified. _No, I can't fight her_, it said. _I can't. If I fight her she'll kill me. I'm so scared!_ And she was. Years and years of abuse had instilled an immense fear within Aiden for this woman that she couldn't even begin to fathom. "I…I don't have any money," she cried.

The nails dug further into her arm, twisting cruelly and Aiden gasped in pain. "Please…you're hurting me!"

"That's the whole point sweetie," Bernadette growled with a mocking grin. "Trust me, you deserve much worse."

"Let go of her right now!"

Bernadette's head snapped up. Her dull eyes narrowed as they came to rest upon the man standing behind Aiden. "Well, I'll be damned," she murmured.

"I'm sure you will," Vegeta replied dryly. "Release my daughter."

Bernadette laughed callously, shoving Aiden towards him. He immediately pulled her behind him, making himself a formidable wall between mother and daughter. Gohan and Trunks appeared to one side of him, Bulma to the other and Goten had gone to Aiden, wrapping his arm around her trembling shoulders. They all glared at Bernadette with pure, uncensored hatred.

"Twenty years and you finally decide to take what's yours," she sneered, unfazed by the number of people.

"I did no taking. She came to me," Vegeta said evenly.

"Now why does that not surprise me? She always was a greedy little tramp."

Bulma lunged forward before Vegeta could stop her and drove her fist into Bernadette's face. "Don't you _ever _insult her like that," she yelled at the other woman as Bernadette held a hand over her bleeding lip, making choked, sputtering noises. "And get the hell off of my property or I'll be instructing my husband to kill you."

Vegeta regarded his mate with an amused smirk. "For once I may just have to listen to you woman." He turned a spiteful glare on Bernadette, then, speaking to her in a voice laced with contempt, said, "Which would be all the more reason for you to leave. I won't hesitate to destroy you for what you have done to my daughter."

"Your daughter!" Bernadette shrieked. "Who the hell was the one who raised her huh?"

"Oh and you did such a great job of it too," Bulma scoffed with a roll of her blue eyes. "Regardless of whether you raised her or not, she is no longer your concern."

Bernadette stared at the other woman for a long time before she finally spoke. "She never was my concern." Her narrowed eyes slid to Aiden, rage glittering in their depths. "The only thing she ever was – ever will be – is an unwanted waste of space."

For years Aiden had been dealt blow after blow, beaten with so many different things that she couldn't even name them all. For years she had suffered unimaginable pain but nothing…nothing hurt as much as this. With Bernadette's careless words the tiny part of Aiden that truly believed her mother cared for her died. Her breath left her, tears burned forcefully at the back of her eyes and her skin started to feel far too tight.

She shrugged off Goten's arm and in a zombie like state, turned to the house and walked slowly inside. Only Goten noticed. The others were too busy making sure that the woman who had at one time called Aiden her daughter was well on her way with no intentions of returning.

Once Bernadette had clambered into her old beat up car, making sure to shoot a particularly nasty look at all of them, Bulma sighed and leaned back against Vegeta. "So that was her," she murmured in a hollow voice. "What a horrible person. I can't believe she said such cruel things to…oh no." Whipping around Bulma searched for Aiden, finding only Goten where the girl had once stood. "Goten, where did she go?"

"Inside," he replied sadly.

Bulma ran for the door. She threw it open, not bothering to close it and made her way quickly upstairs. Aiden was sitting on her bed, her blank, lifeless gaze fixed on the carpet. She looked so tiny…so alone. It broke Bulma's heart to see her like this. She moved to the bed very cautiously as if she were approaching a scared animal and sat down. Aiden didn't move. She didn't acknowledge Bulma's presence. She merely remained staring at the floor, her arms wrapped loosely around her.

"Aiden," she murmured softly, lifting a hand to touch the girl's arm.

"Part of me really believed that she cared. Even with all of the…the beatings and the…suffering…it still wanted to believe. It still wanted to have someone to call mother," the girl said in an anguished whisper.

"Oh sweetheart." Bulma tipped the younger woman's chin up with her fingers and stared into her mournful blue eyes. "It's okay."

"No it's not," Aiden replied forcefully. "How can it be okay? My own mother wanted to buy me off with only fifteen hundred dollars. That's all I'm worth to her! I…what…I don't understand…why…" She grappled for words to express her pain, words to tell Bulma how she felt as if her heart had just been forcefully ripped from her chest. "She…she doesn't even care!" A sob tore from her throat and Aiden fell forward.

Bulma uttered a hoarse cry and pulled Aiden into her arms, rocking her back and forth as her anguished poured forth. "We care though sweetheart. We care," she whispered close to her ear, stroking the soft mass of lavender hair. "Believe it or not…your father and I love you very much."

Aiden's sobs drifted away after several long minutes and she finally stilled within the circle of Bulma's protective embrace. Her heart was racing with the forcefulness of her crying and her eyes lids felt very heavy. "How can you love me?" she whispered, clinging to Bulma. "You don't even know me."

"I know you enough Aiden," she replied, smiling. "You've become a big part of this family…one we are so happy to have. We all love you so much."

Aiden hiccupped and sagged wearily against Bulma. Fresh tears started to slide slowly down her face, cleansing tears that did not burn. "You love me," she stated softly, her voice hushed with awe.

Bulma nodded as she tightened her arms around her precious burden. "Yes Aiden. We love you."

Moments after the storm passed Vegeta appeared in the doorway. He cast a worried glance at Aiden who was now lying on the bed, her head in Bulma's lap.

Seeing her husband, Bulma smiled and nodded for him to enter. "Aiden, your father's here," she whispered, stroking her hand tenderly over the back of the young woman's head.

"I know," she murmured. Her lids slowly opened to reveal tired, bloodshot eyes and she gave Vegeta a pitiful half smile. "Hello father."

Closing the door behind him the Saiyan Prince grunted a hello and joined them on the bed. Aiden sat up and he took a seat next to her. "Are you well?" he asked.

The young Saiyan lifted her shoulders. "As well as can be expected I guess," she replied honestly. "This whole…disowned thing is kind of new."

Vegeta took his daughters hand between his own. The smooth peach skin made quite a contrast when compared to his own weathered and callused hands. This only served to remind him how fragile his daughter really was, not just physically…but it appeared that she was still mentally fragile as well. Had she not been, her mother's words would have not cut her so deeply and although he would have usually expressed distaste for such weakness he would not do it in front of Aiden. He understood her pain all too well. "You have not been disowned Aiden. You have a family here. That woman may have been your mother at one time but she did not deserve you. You are a far better person then she will ever be. You know that, don't you?"

Staring at him intently, tears glistening once more in her vibrant eyes, Aiden shook her head.

"Well, you are," he said firmly. "You are a unique young woman who is just as beautiful as she is powerful and I am very proud to have you as my daughter. While you are under our roof you will never doubt our love for you, understood?"

Instead of responding with words Aiden threw her arms around his neck and clung tightly to him. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

"There is nothing to thank. I was just merely stating facts," he said gruffly, but he was smiling as he wrapped his arms around her and returned his embrace.

Seconds later they pulled away from each other and Aiden sighed deeply, dragging a hand through her hair. Her eyes fell to her arm where a row of angry crescent moon welts marred her skin. "I don't know how I could have let this happen," she murmured. "After all that training you would think that I'd be able to stand up to her…that I wouldn't be afraid. But all I could do was stand there…scared out of my mind."

Bulma draped an arm over Aiden's shoulders. "Well you'll never have to worry about _that_ again," she said.

"Not when you're with this woman at least," Vegeta intoned, shooting Bulma an amused look. "There's a good possibility that you may have broken her nose."

"She deserved worse." Turning her attention back to Aiden, Bulma's expression grew serious. "I was thinking Aiden…and this is just a suggestion…you're old enough now that if you wanted to you could sever some of those ties to your mother."

"How?"

"You could go to the court house and change your name. You're a little too old to for a custody battle but if changing your last name sounds appealing I could take you there tomorrow and pay the fee. How does that sound?" she asked.

Aiden nodded. "I think I'd like to do that. But…what would I use for a last name?"

"Well…" Bulma said, drawing the word out as she cast a questioning glance over Aiden's head to Vegeta. After receiving a nod of approval she continued. "Your father and I were thinking that it would be nice if you were an actual member of this family so maybe you could take our last name?"

"You…you'd let me do that?"

"Of course Aiden. Nothing would make us happier."

Another fresh onslaught of tears worked their way to her eyes and Aiden made a frustrated noise that was half sigh-half laugh, wiping them with the back of her hand. "I'm such a cry baby today."

Laughing, Bulma gave her a quick hug. "With the day you've had no one can fault you for being a little emotional hun. So is that a yes?"

"Yes…yes. And thank you so much." Twisting her hands nervously in her lap she sniffled, forcing herself not to cry. "This means so much to me."

A sudden knock sounded at the door and Trunks poked his head in, blue eyes peering up from under a mess of lavender hair. "Hey…mind if I come in?" he asked as he warily scanned the faces of the beds occupants.

Aiden smiled at her brother and shook her head. "Where's Gohan and Goten?"

"They went home but they'll be back tomorrow."

"We have to put up with Kakarott's brats more than he does," Vegeta grumbled, back to his usual, uncaring self now that his son was in the room. "Remind me to lock myself in the gravity room all day tomorrow."

Biting back a giggle that had rose within her, Aiden elbowed him softly. "Come on now daddy, they're not so bad," she teased.

"Maybe not to you."

Bulma rolled her eyes at the two and motioned for her son to join them. "Trunks honey, what would you say to Aiden becoming a real member of this family?"

"Isn't she already?" he asked as he sat beside his mother and winked at Aiden.

"In a way yes, but not officially. We were going to go to the court house tomorrow and get her last name changed."

"I think that's a great idea mom."

"Well then," Bulma said, practically beaming in her enthusiasm, "it's settled. I don't suppose that little scene down in the yard caused any of you Saiyan's to lose your appetite, did it?"

"Honestly woman…it would take more than some bitchy female in a trashy clothing to make me lose my appetite," Vegeta muttered, getting up and making his way arrogantly to the door.

Bulma made a face at his back, drawing laughter from both Aiden and Trunks. "Well kids, let's go eat before everything gets cold."

As a family they made their way downstairs for supper.

Later that evening as Aiden lay awake in her bed, a book laying face down beside her and her bedside lamp throwing a dim glow over the room, the phone rang. Turning onto her back she listened to the shrill ring, wondering if anyone was even awake to answer it. Midway through the third ring the sound was cut off. Out in the hallway she could hear a male voice, easily distinguishable as Trunks'. He spoke for a few seconds and then fell silent. A moment later he knocked softly on her door and Aiden sat up, calling out for him to enter.

"Hey, phone's for you. It's Gohan," he said, holding out the phone to her as he approached the bed. After handing her the phone he gave her a hug and ruffled her hair. "Night sis."

"Night Trunks," she replied, smiling fondly at her brother as he left. Then she took a deep breath, released it slowly and put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Aiden. It's Gohan."

The sound of his smooth deep voice laced with concern immediately relaxed her and brought a shy smile to her face. "I know. Why didn't you stay for supper?"

"Well…Goten and I thought it would be a good idea to give you guys some time alone after what happened. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine now," she replied. Leaning back against her pillows she tucked her legs under the thick comforter. "I probably should have seen it coming."

"Why do you say that?"

"I've been my mother's slave since the day I was old enough to understand the concept of hard work. I was a fool to think she'd let me off that easy."

"You're not a fool Aiden."

"I felt like one today," she grumbled, sinking further into her pillows. "After all you and dad taught me I should have been able to stand up to her easily."

"Considering the situation I'm not surprised that you reacted the way you did. When someone's traumatized at a young age by something it tends to stick with them for a long time…no matter how hard they try to bury it."

Aiden turned onto her side and looked out the window, wondering if Gohan was doing the same. She wished he was there with her instead of miles away. "Have you ever…been through something really awful before Gohan?"

He was silent for a long moment before speaking. "There was one time when I was younger. I watched my father sacrifice himself to save the world. It's not as bad as what you went through…but it was really hard to deal with. And even though I know he's one of the strongest guys alive every time he goes out to fight…I get really worried that I'll never see him again."

"Oh Gohan, I'm so sorry."

"Then there was this other time I had to sit still for hours while some crazy old guy with a thing for Bulma danced in a circle around me. That was pretty traumatizing."

His obvious attempt to lighten the mood of their conversation worked and Aiden giggled. "I'm going to assume that asking questions would be a bad idea."

Gohan chuckled on the other end. "Yeah it would. So did Trunks say when we're leaving tomorrow night?"

"Well he suggested that we go out to eat first. Then there was that haunted house so I'm going to guess 7…7:30. Somewhere around there."

"Okay. So what are you going to be?"

"If I told you I'd have to kill you," she teased.

"Then you'd be out of a date tomorrow night."

Aiden's breath stilled. Her heart, only minutes ago beating steadily, now pounded in a quick tattoo against her ribs. "So you're my date now?" she asked, cringing at the sound of her overly hopeful voice.

"Well…ahh…I guess. But hey, I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Okay." Aiden smiled. "Goodnight Gohan."

"Good night Aiden."

Hanging up the phone she flipped onto her other side and placed it on the bedside table. Minutes later she was asleep, dreaming of the man she would be going on her first ever date with tomorrow night.

***~* Halloween Night *~***

"This is Halloween, this is Halloween, pumpkins scream in the dead of night," Aiden sang cheerfully, accompanying the voices on the TV as she sat on the edge of her bed helping her brother with his costume. She had popped "The Nightmare Before Christmas" into the DVD player so that she could watch it as she worked tediously to perfect Trunks' look.

"So is this a movie about Halloween…or Christmas?" Trunks asked from his spot on the floor at the end of the bed. So far he looked like absolute hell. One eye was extremely black and blue, a long, jagged gash ran the length of his face from temple to jaw and an intricate array of tattoos covered half of his exposed chest and his left arm.

In the middle of applying another fake tattoo Aiden glanced up at the screen. "It's iffy," she said. "Kind of like some of these tattoos. A few of these are kind of girly Trunks."

"Just the small ones!" he yelped defensively. "The bigger ones are pretty cool though." He riffled through a stack of fake tattoos and pulled out a large sheet with a Celtic design scrawled boldly across it. He handed it to Aiden.

"You can't use this one," she said, taking it from him and setting it beside her. "You're supposed to be a biker. Tough bikers that just got the crap kicked out of them in a barroom brawl don't have Celtic tattoos. Hand me the one with the snake and skull."

Halfway through the movie Trunks' costume was complete. He was convincingly tattooed and bruised. He was dressed from head to foot in black leather. A pair of chaps covered his blue jeans and hung over his steel toed boots and a vest barley covered his bare chest.

"You're going to freeze," Aiden muttered as she tied a bandana around his head and moved in front of him, adjusting it.

Trunks grinned down at her. "I'll be fine _mom_. Besides, we're going to be inside most of the night."

"You think they'll even let us into the restaurant?" She reached up and ran the pad of her thumb gently beneath his eye, smudging his bruise colored makeup. She hated to admit it but she was actually very good at creating convincing bruises. She had seen enough of them to know the exact shades that were needed to make a fake bruise look real.

Trunks went to the mirror at her vanity to see what he looked like once she was finished. "Of course they'll let us in. With your costume I'll bet we even get seated first if there's a wait." He caught her dirty look reflected in the mirror and laughed. "I'm just saying sis. Hey." Turning to face her he glanced worriedly at her tail. "Thought about what you're going to do with that yet?"

"I was just going to leave it," she said as she wrapped the furry appendage around her waist. "I mean it's Halloween. Who's going to care?"

"Milkin' it for all it's worth Ms. Briefs?" he asked, using her newly acquired last name.

"You're damn right I am Mr. Briefs. Now out." She grabbed his arm, carefully avoiding the tattoos and started to drag him towards the door. "I have to start getting ready if we're ever going to get out of here."

"Alright. See you downstairs!"

The door closed behind him, leaving Aiden alone in her room. Well, not really alone. Mr. Oogie Boogie was serenading her from the television. Slowly turning her gaze to her bed Aiden stared down at her costume and swallowed hard.

"What are you going to do?" a captive, overly chubby Santa asked on the TV.

Aiden sucked up her courage and said in a low voice, mimicking Mr. Oogie Boogie, "I'm gonna do the best I can."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Downstairs, watching TV and enjoying the rare peace and quiet Vegeta lounged on the couch; his feet propped up on the table and crossed at the ankles. He held up the remote and was about to change the channel when Goku, Gohan and Goten all appeared in front of him, blocking the TV.

"Ever tried knocking Kakarott?" he growled, his usual scowl deepening.

Goku only grinned and said, "Happy Halloween to you too Vegeta. Doing anything tonight?"

"Yes," the Saiyan Prince snapped. "Not that it's any of your business but I'm going to be training. You're presence just reminded me of that fact." He stood abruptly and left the room passing Trunks on his way out.

"Hey guys!" the lavender haired Saiyan greeted them as he vaulted over the couch, taking the spot his father had just vacated. "You're early. Nice costumes…but…Goten what the hell are you supposed to be?"

"You can't tell?" The younger Son, dressed in a suit and wearing a bowtie spun around and gave Trunks a winning grin. "Here's a hint. Mom would kill me if she knew what I was."

"Yeah…and that really narrows it down," Trunk muttered with a roll of his eyes. "And I have no clue. Enlighten me."

"He's a Chippendale," Bulma cried, walking in the room. "Oh, Goten you're right. You're mom would have killed you!"

Goten smirked and rubbed the back of his neck, a slight blush staining his cheeks. "Yeah…but think of all the chicks that'll love it."

Gohan, dressed up in camouflage pants, combat boots and a mass amount of green, black and brown war paint shook his head. "I tried to talk him out of it but he said it was either this or Hercule."

"Well guys. You have fun. Be responsible and don't worry about being home early. I'll take care of Chichi." Goku gave each of his sons a hug, making Gohan's as quick as possible so as to avoid having war paint smeared on him, and then held his fingers to his forehead. "Bye Bulma!"

"See you later Goku," she replied, waving at him. Once he was gone she took a seat next to her son on the couch and gave him a quick once over. "Very nice. Did Aiden help you with the makeup?"

Trunk nodded. "She did all of it."

"That was sweet of her. So is there any way I can talk you guys into wearing more or is your only intent to impress the women?"

"We're two single guys mom. What do you think?"

"I think you're lucky to have a mom like me who's going to let you get away with this." She looked up at Gohan. "What about you kid? You trying to impress somebody? I thought Videl wasn't going to be back until next month sometime?"

Goten laughed and nudged his brother. "He's trying to impress somebody all right but it sure as hell isn't Videl!"

Bulma looked back and forth between the two, feeling a sharp pang of sympathy for Gohan. She understood perfectly well that the young Saiyan was very attracted to Aiden and the fact that he was still with Videl, someone who Bulma was pretty sure Aiden knew nothing about, didn't exactly make matters better. If anything should transpire between Aiden and Gohan the poor guy was going to be in a lot of trouble unless he told the other woman in his life about it before it was too late.

"Bulma…don't give me that look," Gohan said kindly. "I understand what you're thinking…but you don't have to worry, really."

Bulma smiled. "I know hun. But I just don't want to see anyone hurt."

"You won't. I promise I…" His voice suddenly died away and he forgot how to speak. He forgot how to think even. All he could do was stare at the vision walking into the room and try to control the sudden animalistic urges that screamed to be released. Aiden, never given to looking incredibly provocative, was doing just that. Her long legs were incased in a pair of thigh high leather boots and black fishnet stockings. She wore a pair of incredibly short leather shorts and an electric blue satin bodice that emphasized every part of her that had begun to grow now that she was getting the food she needed. Ever curve was accented and her small breasts swelled enticingly above the low neckline. On her head rested a black leather Ivy cap, emphasizing her dark penciled eyes and full red lips.

"Gohan…you're drooling," Goten whispered beside him.

"Am not," he shot back, unconsciously lifting a hand to his mouth.

Seeing the reaction of the two Trunks spun around and gave a low whistle. "Damn Aiden! That's the costume Goten helped you pick out?"

Aiden blushed, a small smile curving her lips as she slowly walked into the room. "Yeah. He said I would make a perfect Pussy Cat Doll and…well…he's really convincing."

"And she pulled it off nicely too!" Goten said, looking smug. "You look great Aiden."

"Thank you."

Pushing off the couch, Trunks stood up and stretched his tattooed arms above his head. "So what do you say guys? Should we get this party started?"


	7. Halloween Hijinx

**Disclaimer**: I do not own DBZ and make no profit from the writing of this fic. References made towards movies are just that. I own none of the movies brought up in this story.

**Chapter Seven: Halloween Hijinx**

"So um…what exactly is a haunted house?" Aiden asked, as she stood with Gohan, Goten and Trunks in a long line of costumed people who were loudly taking up most of the entryway of the large, plantation style house. Music from various horror movies played from speakers mounted in the four corners of the sparsely lit room and people dressed as freakish ghouls patrolled the crowd, every now and then scaring unsuspecting individuals.

"It's what it says it is, sis," Trunks said. "The entire purpose of these things is to scare people. None of its real but if you allow yourself to get scared that's what makes it fun."

"Yeah," Goten added, then lowering his voice said, "And no blowing people up…Trunks."

"Hey! If that guy hadn't been in my face I wouldn't have tried it!"

Laughing at her brother's indignant response, Aiden risked a sideways glance at Gohan. She couldn't believe how amazing he looked or how confident for that matter. The very sight of him standing in the entrance without a shirt looking so sure of himself sent a wave of longing rippling through her, one that apparently was going to stay with her the entire evening. It hadn't let up for one minute since the evening had begun. It was her companion in the car, at the restaurant, even here where they were crammed in a room full of people. And the fact that they were standing so close didn't really help. She could only hope that a good scare would take her mind off of how badly she wanted Gohan. She had never dealt with urges like this and quite honestly…they terrified her. Not just because they were so raw and new but also because deep down they made her feel as if she were no better than her mother.

Turning away with a sigh of despair Aiden came face to face with the most gruesome mask she had ever laid eyes on. It leered at her with its razor sharp teeth and it appeared that the skin was not only hanging but dripping from the jagged cheekbones and chin in slick folds. She released a startled yelp and fell back against Gohan.

"Whoa! Sorry about that cutie!" the guy said, pulling the mask up and revealing a handsome face with light brown eyes and shaggy hair of the same color. "Didn't mean to scare ya. We're looking for a group of four to go in."

"We're a group of four," Goten spoke up.

"Well then, follow me guys." The young man held his arm out to Aiden and gave her a charming smile. "Would the lady care for an escort?"

Aiden opened her mouth to politely decline his offer when a strong arm wrapped around her waist, startling her almost as much as the mask had.

"She's got an escort. Thanks though," Gohan said beside her.

The guy shrugged casually and turned away from them. "No problem. Right this way guys."

Exchanging shy smiles, Gohan and Aiden fell in behind their brothers, pushing their way through the laughing, rambling crowd. As they walked, the lights dimmed and a low cackle spilled from the speakers. Towards the back of the room a man screamed, saying in a theatrical voice that they were all going to die. Some laughed, others joined in the drama and started shrieking and moaning in terror.

"Man I love working here," their guide commented as they made it through the crowd and came to a stop in front of two tall oak doors. The masked guide knocked once, the sound echoing in the room beyond and then he took a step back. With a low groaning creak of protest the doors swung open, pushed by two men dressed as hideous trolls with hair sprouting out from every possible crevice and large shackles bound to their wrist, chaining them to the heavy oak doors.

"Alright guys, there you go." The brown haired man gave a dramatic sweep of his arm, motioning for them to enter. "Have a blast and whatever you do…don't get lost." Pulling his mask back on, he disappeared into the crowd and the doors closed, shutting the four off from the group of people waiting to get in.

"Well, this is great. Now we can get to the party earlier," Trunks said, turning to study the large, dark foyer. The floor was a massive checkerboard of white and black marble, aged portraits of stuffy matrons lined the walls and before them, gracefully curving back and forth was a large staircase leading up to another set of smaller doors. The words "enter if you dare" were scrawled in "blood" above them.

"We lucked out," Goten agreed as he started for the stairs, unbuttoning the coat that was hiding his entire costume, or lack thereof, from view. "We could have been waiting all night like some of those sorry saps are going to."

Staring at the cryptic greeting above the doors Aiden felt a tiny shiver of apprehension race down her spine. She was starting to think she'd rather be one of those saps waiting all night. This place gave her the creeps and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She glanced up at one of the portraits as they passed and stifled a yelp. The eyes were following her!

"You said the whole purpose of a place like this is to scare people right?" she asked Trunks, climbing the stairs behind him.

"Yup." He threw her a knowing grin over his shoulder. "Scared already, huh?"

"A little."

When they came to the door it opened automatically, creaking on rusted hinges. A long pitch-black corridor greeted them on the other side. At the end of it was an open doorway spilling forth a minimal amount of mossy green light and fog into the darkness.

"This place was rated number one out of all the haunted houses in the area. Legend says it was cursed even before it was bought up and turned into one. The owners of the house claim they knew the entire time. It was the basis of the house's appeal," Goten rattled off as he stared straight ahead into the darkness like a crazed zombie.

Rolling his eyes at his friend's unnecessary melodrama, Trunks gave him a slight shove through the doorway and into the hall. "You're such a drama queen."

The two disappeared into the darkness. Watching them uncertainly, Aiden stood next to Gohan wanting nothing more than to turn and go back the way she had came. There was nothing at all comforting about that green light. But instead of turning tail she reached out and took Gohan's hand. "In case I get scared," she explained in a whisper when she felt his surprised gaze upon her.

The doors closed with an ominous thud, throwing them into complete obscurity and hiding Gohan's pleased smile from Aiden. "I'll keep you safe. Promise."

"Hey are you two coming or what?" Trunks yelled somewhere ahead of them.

Gohan tugged gently on Aiden's hand. "Come on," he coaxed, leading her down the long hallway.

The first room they came to was narrow and lit by dull green lights hidden above a cornice that lined the wall close to the ceiling. The room, very narrow for the most part, was painted black from ceiling to floor. The only thing not painted was a wide picture window that took up the left wall and looked into another room filled with fog where a short girl in a tattered white dress paced restlessly. The light was only slightly brighter in her room, allowing them a good view of the painted bags beneath haunted eyes set in a pale, skinny face.

"Do you think she was actually required to be sick to get this job?" Trunks asked, causing Goten to snicker.

The sound drew the girl's attention and her pacing slowed, eventually stopping all together. Ever so slowly she turned to face them. With her head cocked curiously she approached the glass, her dress floating around her frail form, her deep brown eyes focused on Trunks.

With a cocky smirk Trunks stepped up to the glass. "Hey there sexy. What do you say you ditch this place and come party with me tonight, huh?"

She replied with a shy smile, lifting her hand and placing it on the glass.

Mockingly copying her movements, Trunks did the same, placing his hand across from hers. "I get it. You're the crazy lady who was raised in the wild, right?" No reply. "I dig it," Trunks continued, drawing another bought of amused chuckles from Goten. "Come out with us."

"Trunks, what are you doing?" Aiden asked, watching the girl warily. She had a bad feeling about this. The kind that sat like an uneasy lump in your stomach, leisurely spreading a clammy chill through your body.

The younger Saiyan turned and gave his sister a smile. "Relax Aiden. I'm just playing around." He looked back at the ghost like girl. "So what do you say pale and beautiful? You comin'?"

The girl's smile deepened as she raised her other hand. Clutched in the long, bony fingers was a blood stained cleaver.

Trunks laughed at the sight. "Sure honey," he drawled, "you can bring your knife."

A look of pure, uninhibited evil flashed across the girls face and she quickly ducked down, disappearing from view.

"What the hell…" Trunks muttered, the smile vanishing from his face as he leaned forward, trying to see below the window ledge.

Goten joined him, pressing his face and hands against the cool glass. "Dude, what did you do?"

"I didn't _do_ anything Goten."

"Maybe that pale comment offended her," Aiden suggested, also moving to the window and looking through it. "Where did she go anyway? I don't see her anywhere in there."

Trunks shrugged, a look of uneasiness tugging at his features. "I dunno. One minute she was there and the next-." His voice died off as the sound of raspy breathing permeated the air. "Goten, quit breathing so damn loud," he whispered irritably.

Goten gave his friend a startled look. "Me? I thought that was you!" he whispered.

"Hello," a raspy voice said behind them.

All four of them whipped around coming face to face with the girl who had been just seconds ago, on the other side of the glass. Her lips drew back in a hideous sneer and she hissed, drawing her blade up high over her head.

"Holy shit!" Trunks yelped as she brought the cleaver down quickly, missing him by a mere inch. "This chick is nuts!"

Seeing the look of anger flare to life in Trunks' eyes, Goten laughed and pushed him out of the room just as the girl lunged at them again, releasing an outraged shriek. "You're supposed to let yourself get scared, remember!" he yelped, glancing back to make sure Aiden and Gohan were following. The two were laughing as they made their narrow escape hand in hand, ducking under the upraised arm of the howling banshee psychopath.

"Scared yes. But I didn't say anything about letting some psycho take a swing at me!" Trunks argued as they came to the entrance of the next room. This time blue light spilled out from the open doorway and pained moaning could be heard within.

"Oh relax Trunks," Aiden said, breezing past him and fearlessly walking into the next room. "The knife wasn't even real."

The rest of the house took them a little under an hour to get through and was worth every minute. Each room was far freakier then the one before it and props used grew more and more convincing. In one room, a museum of shrunken heads, Aiden had been seriously tempted to touch one of the tiny, leathery skulls with its coarse wiry hair to see if it was real…until the thing had come to life and tried to bite her.

The experience was one they would not soon forget and the four friends could talk of nothing else as they spilled from the exit, laughing and talking excitedly.

"Well guys, as awesome as that was…we've got a party to get to!" Trunks exclaimed.

Goten pumped his fist in the air. "Hell yeah! Let's go see if these fakes really work."

Fifteen minutes later they pulled up to Buckner's. Finding a parking spot took forever but finally they were able to make their way through the parking lot up to the entrance, where, thanks to Trunks' status as a member of the Briefs family, they got in without having to wait in the long line that was building up on the sidewalk.

The inside of the bar was a spectacle not to be missed. Glowing cobwebs hung suspended above the dance floor and bar, clinging to the scaffolding, running from the ceiling down the wall in the corners. A screen took up the east wall, displaying the movie "Halloween" for those interested in watching. Most people though were either on the dance floor or at the bar, which had also been decorated for the holiday. Skulls and pumpkin shaped bowls lined the bar top and black and orange streamers hung in arching half circles from the ledge. Behind the bar Batman, Cat woman and Robin were serving up drinks to outrageously dressed customers.

"This is amazing!" Aiden yelled over the music, smiling widely as she tried to look everywhere at once.

Smiling at her enthusiasm, Gohan gently took her arm and lead her through the costumed crowd to a table Goten and Trunks had managed to snag. Several guys stared at Aiden as she passed and Gohan couldn't help but feel a little smug. She was there with him, not them.

"And you didn't think we'd get in," Goten said, shooting his brother a victorious smirk.

Gohan shrugged, choosing not to make any kind of remark. He didn't exactly agree with what his brother and Trunks were doing but that didn't mean he was about to get them kicked out. The two were the wildest, most fun guys he knew when they were teamed up together.

"So what do we want?" Trunks asked while attempting to flag down a waitress.

The music died down and the crowd on the dance floor turned their attention to the stage where a man dressed as Dr. Frankfurter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show now stood holding a microphone. "Evening kiddies," he announced, pulling an uncanny impression of his character. "Glad to see you could all show up for my party." The crowd cheered wildly and he grinned. "Is everyone having a good time?"

Another round of applause from the audience. "Well, that's good to hear. I wish I could say the same for myself." The crowd released a sympathetic "aww" at this. "I was quivering with antici…pation…just thinking about tonight and I completely forgot to eat. But no worries my dears. Daddy just found supper," he finished in a low throaty voice, zeroing his gaze in on poor, unsuspecting Trunks who still had his hand raised in the air for a waitress.

The crowds wild cheering escalated to ear splitting as "Dr. Frankfurter" made his way off the stage, his indecently high heels clicking over the dance floor. When he reached the table Trunks was sitting at he propped his elbow on the Formica top and gave Trunks a look that could only be called seductive. "Can I…get you something to drink?"

Trunks stared at the man half in shock, half in amusement. He had a strong urge to play along and see what kind of trouble he could get himself into. "Depends. You buying?"

"Mmm…I'll buy you as many as it takes to get you to come home with me tonight handsome."

"Sorry. He's with me," Goten suddenly spoke up, wrapping an arm around Trunks' shoulder and joining in the fun.

The stranger's smile only grew. "Well, I never said I had a problem with taking both of you home." Turning back to the crowd he made a dismissing motion with his hands. "Dance you freaks of nature."

With another loud cheer the music came on, blaring from the speakers and the people resumed dancing.

"People are so easily amused. Hi, I'm Joey," the stranger said, introducing himself to the group of four. "Hope you guys didn't mind all of that."

Trunks laughed, pushing Goten's arm off his shoulder. "No problem man. I didn't actually think you wanted to take me home anyway."

Joey pulled up a stool. "Oh no. My boyfriend would kill me. Well," he looked over Trunks and Goten with a critical eye, "then again he may have been eternally grateful. Did you guys need something to drink?"

"Three beers and…" Trunks looked at Aiden expectantly.

Still reeling from the little show their new friend had put on, it took Aiden a while to realize that everyone was waiting on her. "Oh! I'm sorry. I….well, I've never drank before," she muttered, her face twisting in a disgruntled expression.

Joey patted her arm sympathetically. "Well lucky for you that I'm here now. Who better to pick out a drink for such a stunning woman then a gay man, hmm?" He raised his hand in the air, snapped loudly and yelled, "Trix, get the hell over here!"

A waitress with curly brown hair piled up on her head and a toga game over, her green eyes alight. "What's up Joey?" she asked.

"My four friends here would like a drink. Three beers and a ladies special please."

"You got it." And with that she bounced off towards the bar.

"It's much easier to get them to listen when you're the one taking care of their paychecks," Joey said. "You guys need anything just let me know. And you honey," he said, once more addressing Aiden, "look amazing. The look is totally you." He cast a quick, slightly flirtatious glance at Trunks Gohan and Goten. "I don't think you guys need me to tell you how hot you look. Later."

He left just as the waitress showed up with their drinks, setting them down at the table and happily accepting Trunks' generous tip. "Well," Gohan said, taking a long pull from his beer, "I can honestly say that's the first time that's ever happened."

"What, you've never been hit on by a gay guy before?" Trunks asked incredulously as if it were an everyday occurrence for him.

Gohan rolled his eyes. "You make it sound like a bad thing Trunks. And no I haven't. Why does that surprise you?" He fixed the younger Saiyan with an amused, questioning look. "Do _you_ think I'm hot Trunks?"

"Dude, shut up!" Trunks said, laughing as he picked an m & m out of the bowl in the center of the table and flicked it at Gohan.

A new song blasted from the speakers and Goten perked up. "Aiden! Dance with me," he demanded, getting up and walking around the table to where she sat. Giving her no chance to protest, he grabbed her hand and pulled her from the seat, dragging her out onto the crowded dance floor.

Moving into Goten's vacated seat, Trunks sat beside Gohan in silence, watching the couple on the lighted floor as he drank his beer. At first it took Aiden a while to loosen up. She glanced around her uncertainly, watching the other couples and then moved closer to Goten looking fearful. Fortunately Goten was a pro at getting people to drop their inhibitions and free their inner party animal. He wrapped his arm around Aiden's waist and leaned over to whisper something in her ear. _Words of encouragement, no doubt_, Trunks thought.

Sure enough Aiden's moves because more fluid and sensual and a bright smile curved her lips. She allowed Goten to spin her in a half circle and draw her close, her back pressed to his chest, his arm circling her waist.

"How the hell does he do that?" Gohan muttered.

Sensing the note of jealousy, Trunks suppressed a grin as he glanced in askance at the dark haired Saiyan. "Do what?" he asked innocently.

Gohan made a tired gesture towards Aiden and Goten. "That. All he had to do was say something and she's…she-," he stammered for the right words, "it's like she…melted." With a pained groan he dropped his head onto the table.

Trunks chuckled. "Wish you could make her melt, huh?"

Lifting his head Gohan stared longingly at the lovely lavender haired woman dancing with his brother. Why the hell was he still trying to deny what he felt for Aiden? He was pretty sure he was doing a terrible job of it anyway so what was the point? With a heavy sigh he nodded. "Yeah…I do."

Trunks waited a minute before he asked his next question, one they had all wanted to know the answer to. "What about Videl?"

The older Saiyan's gaze turned desolate and he hung his head in defeat. "I really don't know Trunks," he murmured.

For the first time since he and Goten had come up with the idea of getting Aiden and Gohan together, Trunks started to feel really sorry for Gohan. "Hey, listen…it's not a bad thing if you like Aiden."

Gohan released a bark of humorless laughter. "It is when Videl's talking marriage."

"Well…how deep do your feelings for Aiden go?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

Turning his attention back to the dance floor Gohan smiled as he watched Aiden laugh at something his brother said. "Videl has never made me feel the way Aiden does. I didn't know it was possible to care for someone so deeply until I met her." He shook his head and picked up his beer, finishing it off. "But who's to say it would work out, right? I don't even know if Aiden feel's the same way."

A waitress, the one from earlier, stopped to take their empty bottles and replace them with fresh ones. After tipping her Trunks turned back to his friend. "Maybe you should find out," he suggested.

"Sure Trunks," Gohan said sarcastically, "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

As if to answer his question the throbbing beat of the base died off, replaced by the long soft notes of a slow song. Trunks smiled, jerking his head in the direction of the dance floor. "Go cut in."

Weighing his options briefly of whether he should sit there doing nothing or act on his emotions, Gohan finally slid from the bar stool and made his way as confidently as possible over to Aiden and Goten.

His brother was the first to see him. With a knowing grin he stepped aside. "She's all yours man," he said, walking off the dance floor.

And then it was just Gohan and Aiden, smiling shyly at each other, wondering who was going to make the next move. "Hi," Aiden said, deciding she had waited long enough.

"Hey," Gohan said back. "You want to dance?"

Blushing charmingly she nodded. "I would like that."

_Now to try and be as smooth as my brother_, he thought as he carefully circled her tiny waist with his arms. Her fingertips brushed the back of his neck and he felt a shiver travel quickly down his spine. He suddenly forgot about being smooth, forgot about all of the reasons why he shouldn't be there and just stared down into the liquid blue depths of Aiden's eyes. Deep emotions stirred within him - emotions Videl nor any other woman had ever provoked in him before. He pulled her close, resting his cheek on her head as she laid her head on his chest. "Aiden," he whispered, rousing the fine hairs at her temple.

Trapped within his strong embrace Aiden sighed, letting herself be swept away by the romance of the moment. "Gohan, I'm scared," she admitted in a hushed voice, feeling like some actress in an old cheesy romance movie.

His hand moved up and down her back leaving a blazing trail of heat in its wake. "Why?" he asked.

"Because this is so new to me. I've never felt things like this….like I'm feeling now and the only person I feel them around…is you. Why is that?" She pulled back and looked up at him, her brows drawn over her beautiful eyes in an adorably confused frown. "I wish I understood what it meant."

"I think I do," Gohan said, smiling down at her. Her passionate confession and naivety had given him an enormous boost of confidence and had assured him that Aiden returned his feelings…even if she didn't understand them. She could be his if he were just to ask it. But he wanted to be completely positive first.

Slowly, knowing one sudden move might scare her, he lifted his hand, brushing his knuckles over her delicate jawbone and cupping her face in the palm of his hand. Using his thumb below the tip of her chin, he very gently tipped her head back. Then, watching her closely, seeing the passion cloud her eyes, he bent down and softly pressed his lips to hers.

Aiden stiffened almost immediately at the intimate contact, remembering the last time a man had tried to kiss her. _Stop it! Don't think about that_, her mind screamed. But as his lips brushed oh so softly over hers she didn't need her mind to tell her what to do. His kiss alone erased the horrible memories, and with a sigh of complete surrender she did exactly what he wanted her to do. She melted. Her entire body hummed with pleasure. Fireworks exploded in her head, creating vivid burst of color. So this is what it felt like to be really, truly kissed.

When his tongue ran along the seam of her lips she willingly opened, wanting to taste him, wanting more of what only he could offer her.

After what seemed like several long blissful hours, they broke apart breathing heavily. "What did you feel?" Gohan asked once his heart rate had returned to normal.

"Too many things to describe," she responded breathlessly, a dreamy smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Her expression suddenly turned serious, her blue eyes staring intently into Gohan's onyx ones. "I really like you Gohan," she admitted, now understanding what her emotions had been trying to tell her all along.

The final threads of doubt gave with a final snap and he hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "I really like you too Aiden," he said and though it slightly complicated matters, he couldn't help feeling extremely content. Aiden was in his arms, something he had only dreamed of before, and there was no rush to figure out what he was supposed to do. He had until the end of next month to think things through, to form a relationship with Aiden and figure out what he was going to do about whatever was going on between him and Videl.

Back at the table Goten and Trunks clicked their beer bottles together in a toast. "Those two made that look almost too easy," Goten commented, taking a long pull from his beer.

Trunks nodded in agreement. "You have to put into consideration that they wanted to be together though. They just needed a little encouragement."

A new song came on, this one loud and upbeat and Goten elbowed Trunks. "Let's join them."

"I'm with you man," Trunks said, jumping from his bar stool and following Goten onto the floor.

Later that night, after several consumed beverages and a wild night of fun and dancing the four showed up at the Briefs house well after two, laughing and covered in silly string. "I can't believe you did a table dance for those girls Trunks!" Aiden cried as she climbed out of the jeep behind Gohan.

"Really? Because I was having a hard time believing that none of them asked for my number," Trunks retorted, faking a disgruntled look.

Beside him Goten smirked, shoving his hands in his coat pockets and dragging in a bunch of silly string in the process. "And yet how many numbers did you get?" he asked his friend.

"Five…not including Joey's."

They all shared a laugh at that, thinking about how much fun their new friend had turned out to be. Together Goten and Trunks could make parties happen faster than most…but with Joey it turned into something else all together. All of them had to admit that they had never had so much fun before.

As they approached the front door Gohan slowed his steps, hanging back to watch Goten say his goodbyes to Trunks and Aiden. Leaning over, he gave Aiden a hug and at the same time quickly shook hands with Trunks. "I'll see you guys later. And if you're going to call wait until one because there's no way in hell I'm going to wake up before then." Waving, he took off into the dark, star studded sky and called out to his brother, "I'll see ya at home Gohan!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna head in," Trunks said, quickly backing up towards the door. "I'm so tired. You guys have a great night." He slipped inside, slamming the door behind him and once again leaving Aiden and Gohan alone.

Around them the wind stirred, ruffling the leaves of the trees. Crickets chirped their lullaby and an owl hooted softly in the distance. The moon shone brightly on the couple below, bathing them in a blue glow as they stared at one another, small smiles curving their lips.

Gohan approached the one step to the Briefs front porch where Aiden stood, covered in pink and green silly string. A twisted, multi colored strand hung over her sparkling eyes.

"You've got some…" he murmured, letting the sentence die as he reached up and pulled aside the strand. "Aiden…would you go on a date with me sometime…without the two match makers?"

Aiden laughed softly. "You noticed that too huh?"

"Yeah. Hard not to. But their intentions were good." He leaned closer, wrapping an arm low around her waist. She swayed towards him, her eyelids drooping slightly. "So what do you say? Will you?"

She nodded. "Yes Gohan. I would love to go on a date with you sometime. But-."

"But?"

Laying her hand on his chest, she slowly slid it up over his shoulder and into the short hairs at the nape of his neck. "But…you have to kiss me again."

"Oh, I fully intended to do that," he murmured with an indulgent grin.

Having one step between them put them level with one another so instead of having to raise up on her tip toes all Aiden had to do was let herself fall forward into Gohan's waiting embrace. Under the star filled sky they kissed slowly, refusing to be rushed, arms entwined, bodies pressed together. And when it was over Gohan reluctantly released her, whispered a goodnight and took off for home. Aiden watched him go, her heart still racing. Only after he had become a small dark spot in the inky blue sky did she turn away and go inside, intent on seeing him again very soon in her dreams.

When Aiden awoke the next morning she felt better than she ever had before in her life. She grabbed a pillow from the massive stack behind her and hugged it to her chest. _Oh I can't believe all of that actually happened_, she thought, remembering the previous night. _And to me! I never saw that one coming! _

With an uncharacteristic squeal she vaulted out of bed and quickly dressed. The smile never left her face as she walked down stairs and into the kitchen where her family was gathered around the table. "Good morning everyone," she sang.

No one replied. They only watched her with somber faces, waiting for the moment when she would realize something wasn't right.

"Hey, what's up….is everyone okay?" she asked, turning to look at them as she reached into the cupboard for a bowl. Her hand stilled in mid air and finally she felt the tension. "What's going on?"

Bulma cast a look at her husband and son and then, with a shuddering sigh she raised woeful eyes to her stepdaughter. "Aiden…I…I'm sorry to tell you this…but." She shook her head unable to go on. Moving aside, Bulma pushed the paper she had been reading to the corner of the table where Aiden could easily see it and pointed to an article.

Aiden moved forward uncertainly, dropping her gaze to the article and reading.

Mistress of Local Drug Lord Found Dead In Alley

Thursday night at approximately 11:34 p.m. an unidentified body was found in the alley behind Vincino's restaurant. There were no signs of struggle and no outward wounds to indicate whether the woman had been murdered. Several eyewitnesses identified the woman as the mistress of a local drug lord that the police have been searching for. Tony Bendral, wanted for attempted robbery as well as murder and possession of illegal substances, was released on probation in January and now currently has a warrant out for his arrest. Any information leading to his whereabouts would be helpful and much appreciated.

As for the woman, one who may have proven to be the key in finding Tony Bendral, autopsies show that she died of a cocaine overdose. The body was identified as that of Bernadette Andrews. No family has been found or notified as of yet but friends say she did have a daughter who has been missing for several weeks. Police have filed a missing persons report but are hoping that the daughter is in good hands.


	8. Words of Endearment

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing of DBZ or it's characters. Aiden however is my character so please ask if you should ever feel the urge to include her in a fic or something.

**Chapter 8: Words of Endearment**

The world seemed cold and dead that afternoon, gray bleary skies hanging over the damp earth that had been soaked from the previous nights rain. And there, in the cemetery surrounded by the dead, Aiden's heart felt heavy as she stared upon her mother's fresh grave. A simple inscription with only her name had been carved into the dark granite of Bernadette's headstone. It was far simpler than Bernadette would have liked but in Aiden's mind, riddled by bitter, hateful memories, it was exactly what she deserved.

Standing only a foot from the mound of black dirt covering her mother's casket, wearing a long gray coat over a simple black skirt and dark lavender shirt, Aiden heaved a bone weary sigh. She didn't know what she was supposed to do or even why she had come to this place. Her mother had done nothing to deserve her compassion or her presence at her funeral…but there she stood. And the worst thing about being there was that it actually made her feel like she had to mourn her mother's passing. Part of her had already done that and as confusing as it was, Aiden had allowed it to happen. She had allowed the tears to come, had allowed the sting of loss to seep into her heart yet all the while had not known why.

"You don't deserve me," she murmured cynically to the silent grave. "You…did nothing but hurt me. I don't even know why I'm here." Damn, the tears were coming again. She clenched her fists together and bit down hard on her lip, determined not to cry.

"Aiden?"

Thinking she was the only one in the cemetery, Aiden cried out softly when she heard the male voice speak up behind her. She turned and there was Gohan. He looked so handsome dressed in a plain navy suit and plain white dress shirt. A gust of chilly August wind swept through the cemetery, ruffling his black hair. It may have not been the time or the place for such thoughts, but Aiden couldn't help picturing him lounging in an oversized chair, his legs spread, his tie loosened and the first few buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, his smoldering gaze staring straight at her. Shivering as the lustful thoughts passed, Aiden forced a smile to her stiff lips. "Hello Gohan."

He walked up to her, looking uncertain and stopped beside her, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Together, they stared at the fresh grave, listening to the wind howl through almost bare branches of trees, picking free several of the few remaining leaves that clung to them. "I never know what to say in situations like this," Gohan finally muttered, lowering his gaze to his feet.

Aiden smiled sadly. "You don't have to know what to say."

He turned his head, looking at her and felt a lump rise in his throat. He couldn't begin to imagine what Aiden was feeling right now. Judging from her outward appearance he could clearly see she was upset. Wet lines trailed down her cheeks where her tears had passed, her eyes were troubled and the grip she had on her hands which were clasped in front of her had turned her knuckles white.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Even though he had heard everyone ask her that exact question and each time she had replied with a nod he knew in his heart that she would be straight with him and tell him what she was actually feeling.

A shuddering sigh passed her pale lips as her eyelids drew closed over the bright lavender pools of her eyes When she opened them again they were glassy looking, showing only one emotion…confusion. "I don't understand what I'm feeling. She treated me so badly…hurt me so many times that I can't even count them anymore…and for that I hate her and-." She stopped, bringing a hand up and pressing her knuckles to her mouth as her chin trembled.

Gohan pulled Aiden into his arms without a second's hesitation. "It's okay Aiden," he whispered against her hair, holding her tight.

Her body trembled violently. "No…it's not okay. Daughters aren't supposed to be happy when their mothers die. It's not right. I'm not right," she sobbed miserably.

"Aiden… look at me," he bid, moving away enough so that she could raise her head. Deep ebony met startling lavender and Gohan's lips tilted up in a tiny smile. "A small part of you may be happy that your mother is gone and that's understandable if you think about it. She can't hurt you anymore. You're free. Maybe that's the reason you're happy."

She sniffed once and her body stilled. She had never thought about that. She had just figured that there was something very wrong with her. "Maybe it is," she agreed softly, "this is really confusing."

"I can imagine." Gohan lifted one arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. "You're going to get through this though. Whether you believe it or not, you're a very strong woman, Aiden."

Raising a hand to brush away the hot tears that streaked her face, Aiden released a deep sigh, her breath coming out unevenly. "You know, this week hasn't exactly been great…but I've had worse," she said with a watery laugh.

Gohan chuckled and pulled her back to him. She rested her head on his chest, wrapping an arm around his waist and laying her hand over his heart. "I couldn't have gotten through it without you. Thank you for being there Gohan."

"I'll always be here for you, Aiden," he murmured.

The sound of someone clearing their throat shattered their peace and they turned, surprised to see Vegeta standing there, looking oddly fashionable in a simple black suit and light, navy blue dress shirt. "Would you mind if I had a moment with my daughter?" he asked.  
Gohan let his arms fall away from Aiden and nodded. "Sure Vegeta."

Dropping a quick kiss on Aiden's forehead he whispered, "I'll call you tonight," and then walked off towards the short line of cars that stretched down the street running past the cemetery.

Vegeta waited until he saw the young Saiyan get in his car and walked over to his daughter. He stood beside her just as Gohan had, the only difference being that Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest instead of putting his hands in his pockets.

Aiden glanced at him in askance and smiled. "Mom's not going to like it if you put a bunch of creases in that nice shirt of yours," she murmured.

"I know," Vegeta replied with a smirk. They fell into a comfortable silence, each staring at the fresh grave and contemplating their pasts, their futures and the passing of the woman who had brought them together. Finally Vegeta spoke, letting his protective boundaries drop, as he always seemed to be doing around his daughter. "I've learned many things since I came here to this planet but the one thing that stuck with me the most was the unfairness of life. When I was back on Vegeta-sei life was simple. We lived by orders and knew no emotions. We were trained killers and never once did it bother me until I came here and met Kakarott. It was only after meeting him and those close to him that I learned how to feel and began to see what humanity was really like.

"The world we know is harsh and unforgiving and living in it takes not only courage but strength, both of which you posses my daughter. There are those who can take the hand life deals them without flinching…and there are those who cannot. Your mother was one of those people that couldn't. Although I never cared for her, I still feel that there was something that made her the way she was. I am not forgiving her for what she did to you and I never will…but I will pray that she finds the peace in death that she never found in life."

Aiden stared at her father in wonder, touched to the very core of her being by the words he spoke with such emotion. "You know what I just realized?" she asked, looking back down at the headstone bearing Bernadette's name.

Vegeta turned his head to look at her. "What's that brat?"

"My mother did do one good thing for me, one thing that I will forever be grateful for." She looked up at him, meeting his ebony gaze and smiling. "She sent me to you," she murmured affectionately.

A very rare thing occurred then. The Saiyan Prince felt a lump of emotion rise in his throat. He reached over and wrapped an arm around Aiden's slim shoulder, drawing her close to his side. "I guess we both have something to thank your mother for then." And they did. Staring silently at the grave, they sent their thanks to Bernadette and did something neither of them had ever thought they would do. They prayed that she rest peacefully.

"Come on," Vegeta said a while later. "Let's go find that woman of mine and convince her to take us somewhere expensive for supper. I'm assuming you're hungry?"

Letting her father walk her down to where their car waited along with Bulma and Trunks, Aiden nodded. "Starving."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Gohan. Hey! Gohan!"

Sighing patiently, Gohan closed his physics book and swiveled his chair around to face his bedroom door, waiting patiently for his brother to come bursting through.

"Five…four…three…two…one-."

The door slammed open, bouncing off the wall and Goten jogged in, carrying two books in his right hand, a notebook under his left arm and a pencil in his mouth.

"Hey," he said, taking the pencil from his mouth and throwing his books on Gohan's desk. "Help me with my geometry, would ya?"

"You do mean help, right? You're not going to trick me into doing your homework for you?" Gohan asked sarcastically.

Goten grinned and opened one of his books, flipping through the pages. "Nah, that stopped working years ago. I just need help with, like…two problems. Then I'm outta your hair. At least for a good 15 minutes."

"Alright. Show me what you need help with."

Running a finger down the page Goten stopped on a problem and leaned against the desk. "Just write it down and explain it to me. I don't get it." He watched as his older brother wrote down the letters and numbers in clean, neat handwriting. "So, ahh…when are you going to tell Videl about Aiden?"

Gohan's hand slowed to a stop. "I…shit," he muttered, tossing the pencil aside with obvious agitation. He ran his hands over his face as he leaned back in his chair. "How did I get myself into this mess?"

"Well that's simple. See, Aiden came to school-."

"It was a rhetorical question, Goten. I know how I got myself into it."

Goten sat on the edge of the desk and looked at his brother. "You want to know what I think?"

Dropping his hands, Gohan looked up at his brother, then nodded slowly. "Sure, what could it hurt?"

"I think you should be with Aiden." Goten shifted on the desk, pulling one of his legs up and tucking it under his other one. "You've changed since she's been around. With Videl you're always on the edge, waiting for her to yell at you, waiting for her to command you to do something. With Aiden…you're just you. You're happier. And no offense towards mom intended but Videl is like…just like her."

Gohan's lips curled up in a tired smile. "You noticed that too huh?"

"It's downright freaky Gohan," the younger Saiyan said, leaning back against the wall. "And besides…Aiden's beautiful man."

_Can't really argue with him on that one_, Gohan thought. Aiden was beautiful, and kind…and everything Videl wasn't. She made him feel like he was important and never once did she imply that he didn't meet her expectations or make suggestions on how he should live his life. Aiden was…perfect.

"I think you're right Goten. I should be with Aiden," he admitted, letting himself realize that it was what he had wanted all along.

Goten put his hands behind his head in a relaxed pose, a habit he'd picked up from Trunks. "So what are we gonna do?"

"We?"

"Yeah…I'm gonna help you of course," Goten said matter-of-factly.

Gohan laughed and shook his head. "You actually think I need help?"

"No." the younger Saiyan sat up and smiled down at his brother. "I know you need help. So here's what I was thinking. Picnic."

"Picnic?"

Goten nodded the affirmative. "Picnic."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Bulma moved about the kitchen trying to find something semi-decent for a light lunch. She'd just hung up the phone after a short talk with Chichi who had invited them over for a picnic later that day, saying that it would be a great way to introduce Aiden to the rest of their friends and Bulma couldn't agree more. The girl needed to get out - to meet new people. She'd been keeping to herself ever since the day of her mother's funeral, spending hours in her bedroom staring silently out the window. At first Bulma had just left Aiden alone, understanding the younger woman's need to sort out her conflicting emotions. But after three days Bulma decided enough was enough. It was time to forcefully pull Aiden out of her funk.

"Trunks, what do you want for lunch?" she asked her son who was sitting at the kitchen table, playing an old electric hand-held game that she had modified.

"Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches," he responded automatically as he pushed the button beneath his right thumb repeatedly. "And Aiden likes 'em with the Colby Jack cheese."

"How do you know that?" Bulma asked, opening a cupboard and pulling out two family sized cans of tomato soup.

"Gohan made it for her a while ago when he was here helping her study."

The blue haired woman smiled and shook her head. "That poor kids getting in way over his head," she murmured.

Looking up at his mother, Trunks set his game aside. "He'll be okay mom. Goten said he finally got Gohan to quit kidding himself so at least now he knows what he has to do."

"Well that's good. I just hope…oh no."

Trunks sat up, alarmed. "What? What is it mom?"

"Hercule," she muttered, covering her face with her hands. "Chichi said he would be there."

"Doesn't she get that none of us even like the guy?"

"She doesn't care. All she sees when she looks at that man is dollar signs. She actually thinks her son's going to marry into that money. God Trunks…if he says anything about Gohan and Videl, Aiden will be crushed."

Trunks got up and crossed the floor to where his mother stood. He put his hands on her shoulders, staring down at her. "Don't worry so much, mom. Goten and I will take care of him. Trust me."

Bulma laughed. "What are you going to do?" she asked, unable to hide her curiosity. Her son's ability to pull pranks on people never failed to amaze her.

"I dunno," Trunks said with a shrug, "Maybe I'll tell him a local TV station is scouting out talent for a new martial arts movie by hiding camera's in the forest."

"The sad part about that is that it will probably work," Bulma commented dryly.

"I know. Point is…we'll take care of him," Trunks repeated.

Bulma smiled at her son, so proud of the man he'd become and prouder still of the way he so fiercely protected those he cared for. "You're a wonderful man Trunks," she murmured, placing a hand on his cheek. "Go get your sister I'll try and get your father out of that gravity room of his."

"Good luck with that!" Trunks called out as he left the kitchen, knowing he'd gotten the better end of that deal.

After their light lunch, one Vegeta had only stuck around a few minutes for before retreating back into the gravity room, Aiden and Trunks sprawled out in the living room furniture to watch a movie while Bulma loaded the dishwasher and straightened up the kitchen. When she was finished, she went out to the living room and took the last chair open across from the one Aiden already occupied. "So did Trunks even bother telling you that we're going to the Son's tonight for a picnic?" she asked her.

Aiden turned away from the TV, brows lowered over her startling blue eyes. "No, he didn't say anything about that."

"Not surprising," Bulma muttered, tossing a throw pillow at her errant son. He easily caught it and made a face at her, tucking the pillow under his head. "It's just a small get together with some of our friend you haven't met yet," she went on, "Chichi thought it would be nice for you to meet them. But that's only if you're up for it. I know the last few days have been hard on you…so I think you could use a little fun. What do you say?"

Aiden thought about it for a minute. Since starting up school again she'd gotten used to the big crowds so what could a small one hurt? Especially if they were friends of the family. "Alright, I'll go," she said, giving Bulma a small smile.

"Great. We'll go when you guys are finished with your movie. No big rush."

Nodding, Aiden turned back to the TV. She didn't want to tell Bulma that she was wrong about it being no big rush. Her heart had leapt at the thought of seeing Gohan again. They had gotten very close since Halloween, their relationship blossoming slowly but surely. And as much as it frightened her it also excited her. She never knew she could find any appeal in the opposite sex after knowing what she did about her mother's ventures…and after what had happened with Ed. But Gohan was so different. He made her feel wanted and appreciated. When she talked he listened, hanging on her every word and she did the same for him, wanting to learn more about him and how he worked. He amazed her.

Leaning back in her seat, a smile flitted across her face as she remembered the many kisses they had shared. She knew she could look forward to more tonight.

Several hours later she wasn't exactly sure she would be getting any of those kisses she had been hoping for. She sat at a long table surrounded by her family and their friends, most of which she had just met. There was Krillin, a very short man with a cheerful attitude and a mop black hair, his quiet but beautiful wife who was an android that went by the name of Eighteen, and their daughter, a small blond with her father's face named Marron. They sat at the far end of the table. Next to them sat a formidable looking man with three eyes and no hair. He went by the name of Tien. And beside him was a handsome man with short black hair, tan skin and two scars; one over his eye and an x-shaped one on his chin. His name was Yamcha.

Next was Gohan's entire family, his mother and father, Chichi's father the Ox King who was a monstrous man (Aiden could see no family resemblance) Goten and Gohan. Beside Gohan sat someone Aiden was still unsure of. They said he was a Namek by the name of Piccolo. He was tall with big ears, constantly narrowed eyes and green skin mostly covered by the gi he wore. He didn't say much and Aiden wasn't sure if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.

The last person was definitely someone Aiden was not fond of, and never had been - Mr. Hercule Satan. Luck had put her between Trunks and the "great hero" himself. Well, more like bad luck really. The man would not shut up. She had been the unwilling victim to his over sized mouth since the meal had started, being subjected to story upon story of his great deeds that had often saved the world. After the third one she wanted to strangle him. Beside her Trunks snickered, handing her a plate of corn on the cob.

"Oh you think this is funny, do you?" she muttered under her breath, taking a cob and dropping it unceremoniously onto her plate.

"Freakin' hilarious," Trunks muttered back. This was quickly followed by a muffled grunt as Aiden kicked him under the table.

"So Aiden…I bet you feel pretty special sitting next to the champ himself, huh? Must be a big thing for a girl like you," Hercule boasted, his loud voice causing her ears to ring.

She rolled her eyes and stuffed a forkful of green beans into her mouth. "Oh yes, very big," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She glanced up in time to Gohan looking at her. He winked, his lips twitching as he tried not to smile. Aiden stuck her tongue out at him but couldn't help smiling and wishing it was him she was sitting next to instead of Mr. Obnoxious.

Hercule went on, oblivious to her sarcasm. "Yeah, I thought so. You're single, aren't you? I am. Married once, didn't see much of a point to it. Only thing good that came out of that marriage was my little girl, Videl."

Across the table Gohan chocked on his hamburger. _Shut up….please, just shut up_, he thought, hoping he hadn't attracted anyone's attention. To his mortification Hercule did shut up…about Videl at least. What he didn't bother doing was shutting his mouth completely which resulted in him hitting on Aiden. Gohan watched, seething with rage as the "Champ," leaned closer to Aiden, telling her that it wasn't an uncommon thing for a young woman to marry someone much older than herself.

"Mr. Hercule, if you don't mind I would like if it you kept your hands to yourself and away from my daughter. I'm sure Vegeta agrees with me," Bulma spoke up, her hostile gaze focusing on Hercule.

The balding man laughed. "Aw come on Mrs. Briefs, she knows I was just kiddin', don't you Aiden." He elbowed her a little rougher than needed and Aiden lifted a hand to rub at the spot his elbow had struck, lowering her gaze to her plate.

_This is so embarrassing_, she thought, feeling her face grow hot. _I need to get away from this guy_. Untangling her legs, she stood and excused herself, asking Chichi where the bathroom in the house was. After getting directions she turned towards the house. She was stopped when Trunks grasped her wrist lightly. She turned and looked down at him, not surprised to see the barley-contained hostility in his eyes, mingling with deep concern. A quick nod to let him know she was okay was all it took to get him to let her go and she dashed inside, wanting nothing more than to be alone and put as many walls between herself and Mr. Hercule as possible.

Walking into the house, Aiden released a deep sigh as she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. "The nerve of that man," she whispered. What gave him the right to speak to her the way he had? If she was the same person she had been when she had come to this town, she would have sat there and taken anything he dished out, to afraid to say anything in her own defense. But after moving in with the Briefs and having several heart to heart talks with Bulma she knew she had every right to feel as angry as she did and if she wanted to, act upon it. She really should have. He did deserve it. He had just met her! If this was the way he picked up women it was no wonder the guy was single. She smiled at that, feeling satisfied with her private joke at Hercule's expense.

Pushing away from the door, she made her way down the hallway to the bathroom. On the walls hung pictures of a happy family and laughing children, Gohan at his high school graduation, Goten getting first place at a science fair. She smiled, running a finger tenderly over Gohan's smiling face as she passed by his framed school picture. _So handsome_, she thought, going into the bathroom and closing the door. She splashed cold water on her face, letting it calm her frazzled nerves and after running her fingers through her hair she left, heading back down the hallway towards the front door.

"Aiden," a voice called out from the opposite direction in which she was heading.

She turned around, smiling when she saw Gohan's head peaking around a doorway. "Hi Gohan. What are you doing in here? Hercule too much for you?" she asked, walking to him.

Gohan waited for her to reach him, then took her hands and pulled her into what was obviously his room, closing the door and locking it. Had it been anyone else, Aiden would have been seized by terror, but she trusted Gohan. "What's wrong?" she asked, laying a hand on his arm and looking up into his tense face.

"I could kill the guy. Really, I could," he muttered, his fists clenching at his sides. "He's such an idiot. I'm so sorry you had to put up with that Aiden."

Shrugging, Aiden leaned closer to him, needing to feel the warmth of his body, needing him to wash away the disgusting feeling sitting next to Hercule had left her with. "I've dealt with worse Gohan."

He nodded. "If mom doesn't end up sending him home soon I'm sure your dad will take care of him for us," he muttered, releasing a small laugh.

"I never cared for the man. He always seemed so fake. Sometimes, when my mother would leave for the night, I'd watch TV. I caught the end of the Cell games and I just couldn't believe that Hercule had beaten someone so strong. There was this little boy though…blond with greenish blue eyes." Her brows furrowed and a small frown pulled at the corners of her full lips. "He looked like he had taken quite a beating. I never actually shared my opinion with anyone…but I always thought it was that little boy that saved us that day."

Gohan stared at her in disbelief, unable to form words. His silence drew her attention and she looked up, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. The seconds drew out into minutes and suddenly her eyes went wide. "I'm right. It was the little boy wasn't it? And that little boy was you! I thought those pictures in the hallway looked familiar." A bright smile stole over her face. "So I'm staring at the man who saved our planet all those years ago," she whispered.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you you're not perceptive," Gohan managed to say, smiling back at her and feeling a small but satisfying amount of validation. It was one thing when your family knew that you had saved the world, but when someone outside of their secretive loop found out the truth…it felt really good.

"Why didn't you tell anyone Gohan? Why did you let that jerk take credit for what you did?"

He shrugged, not knowing how to answer. How many times had he asked himself that question and never come up with an answer? Too many to count. "I wish I knew," he said, "it just kind of happened that way."

"Well," Aiden took one of his big hands in hers, staring at it for a moment, running her fingers over the rough skin, "I think it was a very brave thing for someone so young to do," she murmured, looking up at him.

Staring down into the tender depths of Aiden's eyes, Gohan felt a lump of emotion rise in his throat, making it hard for him to breath. Or maybe it was just her. Maybe her beauty and kindness left him breathless. Lifting a hand, he placed it gently against her face, rubbing his thumb over the soft skin below her cheekbone. "Aiden," he whispered, leaning down and resting his forehead against hers, "I love you."

Her eyes went wide; a tremulous smile curved her lips. "I love you too Gohan," she whispered back, knowing she meant every word of it. She wasn't exactly sure of the true meaning of the word but she knew it was what she felt for him. He was all she thought about, his touch could make her feel better, his smile lit up her world. She loved him.

Rising up on her tiptoes she pressed her lips to his, kissing him tentatively at first, then becoming bolder as his arms circled her waist, drawing her closer to him. His tongue touched her lips and she opened for him, moaning as his tongue intimately stroked hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, shamelessly pressing her body against his, feeling his arousal against her stomach.

_I'm scared_, she thought suddenly, _I'm scared…but I want this._ She not only wanted it, she craved it. She craved the one thing that would erase all of the bad memories, the one thing that would show her that not all men were lust driven animals that didn't understand the word "no."

The kiss became deeper, more intimate, the two clinging to one another as passion swept over them like a huge tidal wave. When they finally broke apart, their hearts hammering wildly as their breath came out in labored gasps, Gohan shook his head. "We…we don't-," he stammered, starting to pull away from her.

Aiden stopped him by tightening her arms around his neck and holding him firmly in place. "But I want to," she whispered.

"I can sense your fear Aiden," he protested weakly, knowing that if he didn't stop now he would end up taking her. The temptation was too strong and although he may have been one of the strongest men in the world, he couldn't win a battle with his own need when it came to her.

She dropped one arm far enough so that she could easily hold his face still as she stared into his onyx eyes. "And you can make it stop," she whispered, smiling up at him. "You're the only one who can make it stop sweetie."

Gohan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Several times since Aiden had come into his life he had pictured this moment, but never had he imagined that it would be so emotional. She was giving herself to him willingly, even though she knew it might bring back horrible memories for her. She wanted him to be the one to make the nightmares stop. He drew a trembling breath, sliding a hand up and down her back, feeling the tension riding her spine. "If you get scared I want you to tell me. We'll stop," he said, not sure at all if he actually could once they got too far.

She kissed him once, softly. "I won't get scared. Not with you. I trust you Gohan." Reaching behind him she switched off the light, casting the room into shadows. The late evening sun tried meekly to shine through the slots of the Venetian blinds Gohan had left down that morning, only succeeding in casting a thin beam of pale pink light over the hardwood floor.

Having an idea, Gohan reached over onto his dresser that sat a couple of feet away from the door and turned on his stereo, pressing play. A CD he'd been listening to earlier, one he had found in the mall and bought after hearing it play over the speakers, started to play, the slow, sultry beat filling the room.

Aiden arched a brow. "Planning for this?" she asked, leaning back in his embrace.

He grinned and shrugged. "No, this is just something I heard and really liked. I can't help it if it sets a mood."

"It's pretty," Aiden admitted, starting to feel nervous. She stared up at Gohan, watching the intense flames flicker in his dark eyes. When he leaned down to kiss her she let herself be swept away, loving the way his kiss made her feel overheated. Soon enough she forgot to be nervous and focused instead on pleasing him, nipping at his bottom lip, rubbing her tongue erotically against his.

In-between kisses Gohan lifted his hands and slowly started to unbutton the pale dusty pink dress shirt she wore. Reaching the last button, he laid his hands flat against her abdomen; hunger clawing viciously at him when he felt her stomach muscles contract in response. He started to slide his hands up over her soft skin, slowly, letting her get used to the feel of his hands on her body. As they brushed over her breasts, skimming over the flimsy lace bra she wore, she gasped and arched her back, pressing them against his hands. He suppressed a groan, moving his hands up, sliding her shirt off her shoulders. The fabric whispered a tiny hiss as it slid down her arms and pooled to the floor at her feet.

Taking his mouth from hers he pressed it to her neck, kissing his way down to the delicate line of her collarbone. She murmured something unintelligible and tangled her hands in his hair, dropping her head back to allow him access to the flesh he sought. As he kissed, his fingers worked deftly at the single button of her long jean skirt. That too joined her shirt and Aiden was left standing before him in her white bra and matching panties. He stopped kissing her, leaning back so that he could admire the woman standing before him. She was a goddess sent to earth, his goddess.

"God you're beautiful," he said in a husky whisper, running his hands down her side and over her slim hips. Aiden smiled, but she couldn't mask the tension that swirled in the depths of her eyes. "You're not scared?" he asked, praying she would say no.

"I'm not scared," she said, her voice coming out thick, "I am nervous though."

"I won't hurt you…not if I can help it."

She gave a brief nod of her head. "I know you won't," she murmured, and then moved back into his arms, already missing the feel of them around her. His strong arms lifted her and, and led by instinct alone, she wrapped her legs around his waist. His hands cupped her bottom, holding her up. The roughness of them against her skin caused heat to pool between her legs. She kissed him then, hungrily, letting the woman within her take what it craved. He groaned in response, only serving to heighten her rapidly increasing arousal. She didn't know it could be like this between a man and a woman, so passionate, so erotic. It thrilled her to know that there was more coming and that was something she didn't expect, to eagerly be awaiting the moment he would claim her body.

Gohan, a complete slave to the need that drove him now, walked over to his bed against the wall, laying Aiden gently upon the covers. Outside he could hear voices, the voices of their friends still eating and talking, clueless as to what was going on inside. Resting one knee on the bed beside Aiden he pulled his shirt off, tossing it aside as he stared down at her. She looked vulnerable lying there, lavender hair fanned around her, one hand resting on the pillow beside her head while the older lay immobile at her side.

Very slowly, he lay down on the bed next to her. After reminding himself several times that he had to be careful with her, he reached out a hand and brushed the tips of his fingers from her temple to her chin, watching her eyelids flutter down as a shuddering sigh swept past her lips. He moved the hand further down, passing his fingertips over her neck, feeling the erratic beating of the pulse beneath her flawless skin. Lowers till he went, down the valley between her breasts, over her tiny stomach and then he let it lay just above the apex of her thighs, watching her avidly.

Her breathing was unsteady and he could feel her body tremble under his hand. Her eyes remained closed. Smiling, he kissed her temple and brought his lips down the same path his fingers had just traced. His found the tiny front clasp of her bra and unsnapped it, pushing aside the fabric.

Aiden gasped as his mouth closed around one of her nipples, his tongue circling the taught peek. Oh, I'm going to die, she thought; yet at the same time she held his head where it was, praying the sweet torture would never stop. When it did it was only for a brief moment as he turned his attention to the other breast, replacing the one he'd abandoned with his hand. While his tongue teased one, his finger and thumb rolled the other, sending a tingling sensation through her body. She was moaning his name but her voice sounded far off, lost somewhere in the humid air.

Satisfied with what he had done, he kissed lower, his hands following the motion down her sides, gripping the tiny elastic bands of her underwear and pulling them down her long legs. He returned to her side then, watching the emotions playing across her face. "You okay?" he whispered softly.

Her lids slowly lifted to reveal two pools of lavender liquid passion. She couldn't manage a reply so she nodded, licking her lips.

He smiled down at her. "Let me know if I should stop." He placed a hand on her stomach and then very slowly slid it downward. His fingers stopped on the mound of curls, waiting patiently for her to allow him to continue. Shyly, Aiden parted her legs and his hand went lower, fingers parting the soft flesh and delving into the one place no man had ever touched before. She couldn't stop from crying out as he stroked her, his fingers moving ever so gently in and out of her, alternately rubbing the sensitive bud and bringing on a whole new wave of sensation. She arched her hips against his hand, not even knowing what she wanted anymore, moving her head mindlessly from side to side as something coiled deep within her, bringing with it a sweet pressure. He moved his fingers faster and her breathing became hitched, her cries louder. Finally the thing coiling within her sprang free and she came, moaning as her body shuddered around his questing fingers.

Immense satisfaction filled Gohan as he watched Aiden succumb to her pleasure. "How was that?" he asked, once her breathing had returned to normal.

She shook her head, smiling. "I've never felt anything like that before," she murmured, her voice filled with awe. "Can I do that to you?"

Before he could answer, her fingers were already undoing the button of his jeans and pushing them down far enough so that she could reach down and grasp his rigid manhood. It amazed him how curious she had become. He was sure she would be terrified of the act but instead she had surprised him.

When her fingers closed around him his head dropped back on the pillows and a strangled sound left his mouth. She was agonizingly careful, increasing pressure by slight increments and driving him closer to the edge. Never before had he felt such exquisite pain. Knowing he couldn't take much more he pulled her hand free and pushed his jeans and boxers off. It was only when he lay on the bed beside her, as naked as she was that he saw the fear flash in her eyes. He leaned over her, brushing strands of lavender hair away from her damp forehead. "I know I said I wouldn't hurt you…not if I could help it," he murmured, trying to sooth her.

She nodded, swallowing hard. "I know what happens Gohan. I know it will hurt but its only going to last a second. After that I know it will be wonderful."

His heart filled with joy at her words. "God I love you," he whispered harshly, kissing her swollen lips.

"I love you back," she murmured.

Positioning himself between her thighs he stared down at her face, holding her gaze. "Just keep looking into my eyes, okay?" he said, not sure why he requested such a thing.

She nodded and he slowly entered her, his body reacting immediately to her wet tightness. It screamed at him to take her, but he resisted, biding his time. He wanted to make this special for her. All the while her gaze never left his, her arms remained around his neck. And then he met resistance.

"Stay with me sweetie," he said, reaching up and taking one of her hands. He held it on the bed beside her and with one swift thrust, broke past her barrier. She cried out, but God bless her, she never stopped watching him. He waited, letting her adjust to him and when she emitted a tiny sigh he started to move, slowly at first, watching in wonder, as her eyes grew dark with passion and her lips parted. When he started moving faster she threw her head back, her eyes closing and he buried his face in her neck. They moved as one, taking and giving what they could, finding out what making love truly meant. And together they reached the point they were searching for, crying out each other's names as their bodies shook from the force of their release.

Gohan collapsed on top Aiden, breathing hard and sweating. She held his head where it lay on her chest, running her hands through his damp hair as she waited for her heart beat to return to normal.

Long moments later, Gohan languidly pulled himself up and laid down beside Aiden, pulling her body close to his. She wrapped an arm around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder and smiling as his fingers moved up and down her arm in a calming caress. "I didn't know it could be so wonderful," she said softly.

Gohan chuckled, feeling truly satisfied. "I didn't either."

The two dozed off after a while, knowing they wouldn't be caught. Goten and Trunks were watching out for them. They probably knew exactly what had happened behind Gohan's closed bedroom door.

Outside the group of friends finished eating and started talking about going down to the beach for a late night swim. Hercule left much to everyone's relief and it was then that Bulma noticed her daughter was missing. "Hey Trunks. Have you seen Aiden?"

Trunks, still working on clearing his plate of food cast a glance across the table to Goten and the two smirked. "Yeah, saw her in the house mom. She said she wanted to rest for a while so I told her to lay down in Gohan's room."

"Well where's Gohan then?"

The young lavender haired Saiyan shrugged, knowing full well where the eldest Son was. "Dunno mom. Probably doing Saiyaman stuff. You know Gohan."


	9. No More Secrets

**A/N:** Well hey all! Yeah, I know…been a while, huh? Like…five years-ish? Well I'm going to finish this thing. I've revamped the first eight chapters, though not by much. I've switched timelines so they're more agreeable and tweaked mistakes here and there. I took a hiatus for a while due to getting side-tracked and next thing I knew it had been five years.

This chapter might be a little sketchy and if there are mistakes, I apologize for it. The writing of this chapter was my coping mechanism for my grandmother's passing so I just kind of went with it.

**I am looking for beta's so if anyone is up for it or would like to help me out, I'd greatly appreciate it! **

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of DBZ and make no profit from the writing of this fic.

**Chapter 9: No More Secrets **

Aiden stared through heavy lidded eyelids at the dust motes that danced along the golden beams of late afternoon sun peeking through the closed blinds. She lay unmoving, her body still humming with sated pleasure even after an hour of dozing. She was only vaguely aware of the gentle lull of muffled voices outside. Her focus remained on Gohan who slept beside her breathing deeply. His arm lay heavily around her waist.

She looked down at it, so strong and tan, and she felt safe. Really and truly safe. She always felt safe with him before but now…something was different. There had been a subtle shift to what they had. Now, not only did she trust him with her life – she trusted him with her heart.

He stirred, groaning slightly and tightening his hold on her. His breath tickled the fine hairs at her neck and she turned to face him, smiling.

"Hey," she murmured softly, her fingers lightly tickling his side.

He twitched once, his lips curving up in a grin, then opened his eyes. "Hey."

"We've been asleep for a little over an hour. Think they've missed us?"

"Nah." Gohan flipped over onto his back, stretched and yawned hugely. He was seemingly unaware of his state of undress, where as Aiden was painfully aware of hers – going as far as to keep the sheets tucked up around her chest. Self-consciousness certainly wasn't something he seemed to poses. "Goten and Trunks covered for us, I'm sure."

"I'm sure," she repeated with a quirky grin. Those two had been covering for them quite a bit. Aiden owed her brother…and Goten. Maybe they could take them out to dinner one night.

Sitting up, she raked her fingers through her disheveled hair and looked around the room. She hadn't paid much attention to it before but she'd been rather busy at the time. It was neat – very neat. Even the books on the desk beside the bed were stacked in clean, precise piles. There were no posters on the wall, no clothes strewn haphazardly on the floor like they always seemed to be in Trunks' room. There was nothing to really claim the room as Gohan's. Frowning, she looked down at him. "You sure are clean."

Gohan hummed and glanced across his room. "Oh, I'm not clean. My mom's just that quick. I don't get a chance to make much of a mess before she's in here getting rid of it. She's…um…very orderly."

"Oh," Aiden murmured softly. She was starting to understand Chi-Chi a lot more than she really wanted to. The woman was nice. It was obvious that she loved her son's and husband. But she was controlling. Controlling to Aiden always equaled bad. Bernadette had been controlling, though not in the same way as Chi-Chi. Far from it, really. Was any form of controlling really healthy though?

Her brow puckered and she frowned.

"You should see Goten's room. She's actually given up on keeping up with him. Claims it's too hard to contain the combination of hurricane and tornado that is my little brother."

Aiden laughed and turned to look at him again. He was propped on his side now, elbow resting on the pillow and he'd pulled the sheets up over his waist. He looked…far too handsome. Shifting to her side, she lay down beside him again and lifted a hand to trace his chiseled jaw and lips. When she flicked his nose, he caught her hand and kissed the fingers gently, smiling at her in a way that made hunger stir from its sleepy confines.

"We should probably get back outside," she said softly, leaning close to him and brushing her lips across his.

"Mmmhm."

"Really-." She tried, though her mind was quickly fogging over with each kiss he gave her. When his hands drifted up her spine she shivered and tried once more to reason with him before giving in entirely. "Gohan – Trunks and Goten can only hold them off for so long. We should go out there…be sociable. Hopefully they got rid of Hercule by now."

His movements suddenly stilled. He jerked back, his eyes clouding over.

Aiden gasped softly, startled by his sudden shift in attitude. "What's wrong?" she asked as panic welled and settled in the pit of her stomach. She had seen that look before – when he had been talking to Bulma after the fight with his mom. "Gohan?"

"Aiden," he looked back up at her and her heart clenched painfully at the fear she saw in his eyes. "I have to tell you something."

"Okay?"

He sat up, pulling her with him and faced her, clasping her hands. "You're not going to like this…and if you're mad at me and never want to talk to me after hearing it, I understand. But I want you to know…I do love you, Aiden." He leaned forward, resting his forehead on hers and closed his eyes, exhaling softly. "I love you so much."

Extremely worried now, Aiden cradled the side of his face in her hand, trying to offer him some comfort. "I love you too, Gohan. Whatever it is – you can tell me."

His eyes opened and flashed with a dark promise that made her blood run cold. "I will fix this. I want you to know that right now. I want to be with you and I made a mess out of this entire thing. It was stupid…but I will fix it."

"What is _it_ exactly?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Herclue has a daughter. He was talking about her outside – Videl. She goes to college with us or will be by the end of this month. She took part of the semester off to go on a vacation with her mom. She actually left about four days before you showed up."

"Okay?"

"The thing is…I've um…I've been dating her."

Aiden sucked in a startled breath and drew back. Her eyes went wide but she remained silent as he rushed on.

"I'm so sorry. I should have said something sooner but I didn't know what to say. And when you were around I just…I kind of forgot all about her. You were all I could think about. And I didn't expect to fall so hard for you so fast. But…I did. And when she gets back I'm ending it because I want to be with you, Aiden." His hands grasped hers hard and he stared intently at her. "Only you."

She sat in silence, taking in what he had told her. All the while she could feel the nervous energy rolling off of him. She could see how much it had hurt him to keep this secret from her and how regretful he was. And oddly enough, she could feel it. It was a disturbing sensation – knowing someone's emotions as if you were within them when they were feeling them. She had no idea how she was even able to do it.

"Did you," she started, her voice hardly audible. "Did you…um…" she gestured helplessly towards the bed, "with her?"

"What?" His brows drew low in confusion, but only for a moment. "Oh! No. No Aiden. There's only been you. Her and I never…well…yeah. We never did that. She's-." He rubbed the back of his neck and lowered his voice. "She's a lot like my mom. I know…freaky that I would be dating someone kind of like my mom but…well, she is. She's got that whole controlling, bossy thing down to an art. So the idea of doing…well _that_ with her never really held a lot of appeal."

"Oh."

Gohan groaned and hung his head. "I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to keep this from you. I wish I would have said something a lot sooner than this, trust me. Every day I wanted-."

She cut him off by placing her hand over his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise and he watched her, staying perfectly still.

"It's okay, Gohan," she murmured with a gentle smile and let her hand fall away.

"It's…okay?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You're not mad?"

She shrugged. "I suppose I should be but…you saved my life. You didn't have to do that. You didn't have to do a lot of the things you did for me, but you did them anyway. You sat by my bedside when you didn't even know who I was because you wanted me to live. You have a good heart and I know that you would never intentionally hurt me."

"No," he breathed. "Not in a million years."

"And when you say you'll fix it…I believe you. I trust you."

Releasing a sigh of pure relief, Gohan hauled her into his lap and hugged her tightly. "I won't give you a reason not to. I should have said something sooner."

Aiden wound her arms around his neck, sighed and rested her head against the top of his. She combed her fingers lightly through his soft, spiky hair. "I understand why you didn't. People don't really…think straight when they're in a situation that's so much different from what they're used to. I stayed with my mom a lot longer than I should have because I was used to the situation. I was afraid to think that there was something better, that I could have something different."

Gohan's hand came up around the back of her neck. His fingers slid into the hair at the nape and he lifted his gaze to hers. "Aiden," he whispered, his lips finding hers, caressing them softly. He whispered her name again and again as he pressed her back to the bed. "That's a horrible way to relate to what I did to you. I wish it would have never happened."

"You could always help me forget about it," she suggested. She was already wrapping her legs around him, pulling him closer, anticipating having all of him again.

"Gladly."

His hands splayed over her hips, up her stomach. They left trails of fire behind that burned until she almost felt like being in her own skin was too much. She shifted restlessly beneath him, dropped her head back when his lips sought the flesh of her neck. The feel of his teeth against her skin and the quick sting of pain were the last things she knew before her world faded into lightning hot pleasure and a seductive, mind-numbing haze.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Ugh, I can hardly move."

Gohan paused in the act of tugging on his shirt, grinning at the lavender haired girl sprawled across his bed. She looked perfect there with the sheets tangled around her. He was in deep regret that they couldn't just stay locked away in his room for the rest of the night.

"What did you do to me?"

"What did _I_ do you _you?_" One last jerk had him fully dressed and he strutted over to the bed, sinking down beside her. "Thought you liked it?"

"Oh! I did!" Aiden jerked up. The look of pure contentment had quickly been replaced by mild panic. "I enjoyed every minute. It's just that-."

Gohan brushed her hair out of her eyes and framed her face with his hands. "Just that?"

She gnawed on her bottom lip for a minute, cutting her gaze briefly downward before looking up at him again. "I feel much more drained than I did after the first time. When I said I could hardly move, I wasn't kidding. I feel like…like…I don't even know how to explain it."

"Well, we were a little…um-." He could feel his face turning hot just thinking about how carried away they'd gotten. It was a wonder no one had heard them. But the second time around, with all of the secrets out in the open and no longer weighing him down, he'd been less reserved. And Aiden…she'd fed off of it, moving with him, clawing at him, raking her nails down his back, her teeth over his neck and shoulder.

"Wild," she offered softly after he'd been silent for too long.

Gohan gave her the trademark Son grin and rubbed his nose against hers. "Yeah…that's it. You going to be okay?"

She scrunched her pert nose, then raised her arms above her head and stretched. The movement gave him an enticing view that had him reconsidering the whole idea of going back outside where his family and her family sat oblivious to what had been going on inside.

"Yeah. I think so. I'm starving though. Think there's any food left?"

"Um…you're at the Son's house, Aiden. Of course there's food left."

He helped her out of bed and they both worked to find the clothing that had been discarded haphazardly around the room. Once she was dressed and her hair was back to the sleek mass of lavender that spilled down her back and taunted him endlessly, they peeked outside to make sure the hallway was clear and slipped out of his room.

"Maybe you should go out the back," Aiden suggested.

Gohan shook his head. "Nah. I'll just tell mom I ran into you in the kitchen. If they ask any more questions than that…I'll think of something."

Aiden gave him a skeptical look but didn't resist as he pressed his hand to the small of her back and guided her towards the front door.

Everyone was still outside, chatting over empty paper plates and mounds of leftovers. Unfortunatly Hercule had also stuck around. Aiden shot Gohan an agonized look as she stepped away from him and went to sit down beside Trunks.

"Gohan, Aiden! There you are!" ChiChi spoke up when she noticed the two make their appearance. "Where have you been?"

"I had to run into town. You know…business and all that. When I got back home I went in to get a drink and ran into Aiden. Guess she was taking a nap."

"Oh!" ChiChi turned her pleased smile on Aiden. "Did you sleep okay dear?"

"Oh yes. I slept great, thank you."

"Sure, you were napping," Trunks muttered only loud enough for her to hear.

Aiden elbowed him in the side then reached for the plate of rolls to mask the action, giving her brother an overly sweet smile. He returned it with a pained one of his own, rubbing his side. "You're getting some decent muscles. I think you left a bruise, sis."

"Oh, you're fine." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and dove into her food, wanting to appease her stomach before it decided to make it painfully apparent that she was starving.

Gohan watched the exchange with a grin. He thought they had just made it look easy before – the whole sibling closeness thing. But now that he knew her better, now that he could read her in a way he'd never been able to before, he knew the closeness wasn't an act. They shared some form of bond, much like the one she shared with Vegeta. And now…with him.

He hadn't meant to do it but instincts had kicked in and before he could stop himself he'd partially bonded himself to her. At least…he thought he did. He wasn't all together sure what bonding involved when it came to mates but something told him it would take much more than a simple bite. Maybe he would talk to his father about it later. Until then he would try to make sense of what little muddled thought kept twining through his own. It was a little disconcerting…but at the same time – it meant that Aiden was his. Truly his.

She caught him watching her and smiled knowingly. Damned if he didn't want to take her back into the house right now and figure out just what it took to become completely bonded to someone.

"So Hercule, when is Videl due back?" his mother asked, effectively destroying Gohan's intentions.

He swallowed hard, waiting for some form of reaction from Aiden. The young woman continued eating though, seemingly unfazed but the sudden mention of Videl. Even Goten and Trunks were watching her, both stalled out in the middle of chewing.

"Oh, she'll be back on the 14th I think. That's the plan anyway. Who knows with that mother of hers though. I'll be happy to have her back though, that's for sure. Bet you will too, huh Gohan?"

Gohan blushed furiously. The mortification he was feeling was colored with anger. This wasn't at all what he wanted to be talking about right now. Not after being with Aiden. Not when she was still sitting right there looking as uninterested as possible. He knew she was faking it. He could easily make out her thoughts and every one of them spoke clearly of how hurt she was, even if Videl wasn't really a factor any longer.

"Aiden, you should meet Videl. I bet you two would be good friends," Hercule went on in his obnoxious, overly loud way. He slipped an arm around her, pulling her close and those thoughts quickly went from hurt to scared. It was all Gohan could do to not jump over the table and shut Hercule up with a quick fist to the face. "You could come over any time you want, spend the night even! I'm always around so feel free to look for me any time you're over."

The suggestion in his words was ill concealed. Before Gohan could make a move though, Goten quickly stopped him, digging his fingers into his leg under the table and speaking up. "Hey Aiden, Trunks…you guys wanna go down to the light house with me and Gohan and check it out before it gets too dark? I heard the place is haunted!"

"Great idea, Goten!" Trunks exclaimed. He quickly stood and grabbed Aiden's arm, tugging her up from her spot and away from Herclue. "Come on, Aiden. You'll love the place. It overlooks this awesome cove where me and Goten used to swim when we were little."

The four made a hasty exit, ignoring the curious looks Bulma and Goku were shooting them. When they were out of even Sayian earshot, Gohan breathed a sigh of relief and jerked his brother into an affectionate headlock. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Didn't think mom would be too pleased if you attacked Hercule at a party she was throwing. You know how she feels about the guy."

"Or more accurately, how she feels about his money," Trunks threw in with a humorless smirk.

"Exactly." Looking over at Aiden who walked on quietly beside him, Gohan clenched his jaw when he found that her thoughts were focused on a mixture of Videl and her ugly past. He moved away from Gohan, gently took her hand and pulled her to a stop.

Without resisting, she went into his arms, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes as she tried to steady her breathing.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, pressing his lips to the crown of her head.

Her petite shoulders lifted. "It's not like you have any control over what he says."

"Sure wish I did." He sighed softly, tightening his hold on her. The urge to protect was so strong with her, even stronger now than it had been when they first met. And just like when they first met, he was doing a crap job.

"You're not doing a crap job," she muttered, her voice muffled against the fabric of his shirt.

Gohan released a startled laugh. "You do realize that I didn't say that out loud, right?" Confused blue eyes lifted to meet his and he just shook his head. No point in explaining it now. Not when he didn't really understand it himself.

"Hey, I have a question," Trunks piped up, interrupting them and giving Gohan the out he was looking for. "Did you guys talk about…um…well…Videl or something?"

The two exchanged a look before Gohan nodded. "Yeah. I told her about Videl."

Goten and Trunks stopped abruptly. Their worried gazes locked on Aiden who just smiled back at them and shook her head.

"Relax guys. Everything is fine."

"So you're…you're okay with it?" Trunks asked in disbelief.

Aiden looked up at Gohan, and smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay with it. We're going to figure things out."

"We are," Gohan murmured in agreement before leaning down to gently kiss her forehead.

Trunks shot a look at his best friend who was standing quietly, staring at his older brother with something akin to admiration. "But you guys are going to stay together, right?" he asked, when Goten didn't speak up to ask the question he was sure both of them wanted answered.

"That's the plan," Gohan replied. "There's nothing I can really do until she gets back."

"Oh, I suppose, huh?" Trunks started to walk again, followed by the other three down a hill to an open area with a crudely built fire pit that looked out over a small, quiet lake.

"Yeah. No phone, no idea where she is, no way to break it off until she gets back."

"It might be easier in person, anyway," Aiden added softly.

Gohan nodded, thinking that she was very much right. He had never really broken up with someone before but with Videl…in person was the only possible way to go. It was the only way to guarantee that she would actually listen to what he was saying and wouldn't hang up on him.

When they reached the fire pit, he helped Goten and Trunks collect wood and build up a fire, then sank down on a long fallen log beside Aiden to watch the orange flames lick hungrily at the dry bark.

"So you guys came here a lot when you were kids?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah…used to come here all the time." Trunks smiled, looking out at the small lighthouse that graced the small slab of rock and land that jutted out into the lake not far from them. "We tried to spend the night in the light house once but the stories we kept hearing kind of stuck with us and we ended up camping out right here instead. Good times, huh Goten?"

He nudged the younger teen with his leg and Goten glanced up, muttering a distracted, "hm?"

"The night we tried to spend in the light house?" Trunks supplied.

"Oh! Yeah…good times." The last two words were added as almost an afterthought.

Trunks frowned, then quickly shrugged and brushed it off. "We haven't been here in a while though. Should probably rebuild this fire pit. I promise it didn't look like that when we first built it."

The four fell silent again, content to watch the fire. Red and gold stained the blue sky as the sun made its descent and stars started to slowly appear across the darkening canvas. The temperature gradually dropped and Aiden moved closer to Gohan, seeking his warmth.

"You want to go check out the light house?" he suggested as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Aiden cast a look to her brother and Goten. They both sat quietly, Trunks looking at the fire, Goten staring at the ground before him. He was drawing patterns in the dirt with a stick and looked…off. Aiden turned her head to the side, studying him. Goten was hardly every quiet. Maybe going for a walk would be a good idea – give Trunks a chance to talk to him and find out if something was wrong.

"Sure." She let him help her up and twined her fingers through his. "Be back in a bit guys."

Trunks watched his sister walk away, hand in hand with Gohan and smiled. "Ya know…I feel kinda sorry for your brother."

Beside him, Goten glanced up, his fingers pausing in the action of stripping the bark away from a small branch he'd picked up when they'd finished building the fire. "Gohan?"

"No, you're other brother." Trunks rolled his eyes and gave his friend a rueful grin. "Yes, Gohan."

"Why?"

"Because he got himself into this huge mess. It's not gonna be easy to get out of. You know that. You know Videl."

"Yeah," Gohan murmured softly. He was still frowning, his black eyes fixated on the ground by his feet. "I know Videl."

"And I'm not saying he shouldn't be with Aiden. You know how I feel about that whole thing," Trunks quickly added. "I just hope…with what he's going to face…" Trunks sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. The unruly strands refused to cooperate, sliding right back into his eyes. "I hope it's worth it…ya know?"

"You hope your own sister is worth all the trouble he's been through?" This time it was Goten's turn to smile.

Trunks nudged him with his knee, scowling. "Of course she's worth it. But what those two are going to face…it's not going to be easy."

"Staying true to what you're feeling when it confuses the hell out of you usually isn't," Goten muttered, his voice hardly audible.

Something in his voice, in the way he said the words made Trunks stop thinking about Aiden and Gohan all together. He suddenly noticed how quiet his friend had been for the past few hours, how withdrawn he was and how that trademark Son smile that seemed almost a permanent fixture on Goten's face was missing.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked.

"Hm?" Goten looked up. He was quick to paste a clueless expression on his face but his efforts couldn't hide the troubled eyes.

"What's going on? You've been seriously quiet ever since Gohan and Aiden came back outside."

"It's nothing," Goten muttered, quickly casting his gaze downward.

"No, that's not a nothing face. What's wrong?"

"Nothing Trunks. It's nothing. I've just been…I dunno…thinking about relationships and how-." He threw his hands up, gesturing wildly. "How confusing they can get."

"Aaah…girl problems? And if that's what it is, what gives? You tell me everything!"

Goten laughed humorlessly. "Yeah. I wish it was that simple."

"Why isn't it?"

"Because Trunks." Goten looked up at him again, his dark eyes lit with fierce intensity. "It has nothing to do with girls."

"Then what? Is it your mom? Is she giving you a hard time too?"

Again, Goten laughed, standing and shaking his head. "Man, and they say I'm the dense one. Listen, it's nothing I won't figure out. Things are just all…screwed up in my head right now." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, glancing up at the house. "I'm going to go get a pop. You want one?"

Trunks pushed away from the fallen tree and stood, reaching out and grasping Goten's arm to stop him. "Goten – whatever it is, you can tell me."

"Actually, I can't. You're the last person I can talk to about this."

He didn't know what was more frustrating – not knowing what was going on with his best friend, or the fact that Goten was being so stubborn about telling him. That wasn't like him at all. "Why would I be the last person you can talk to?"

"Because…you just…you just are."

"Goten, wait-."

"Just let it go, okay? I told you I'll figure it out on my own." Forcing a smile, Goten started forward and Trunks yanked him back, having hit the end of his patience. The younger Saiyan stumbled and fell against him. He looked up, his face flushed, and suddenly Trunks knew exactly what the problem was. He could see it in Goten's eyes, feel it in how tense his body was. He'd always been able to read his best friend like a book – mostly because Goten was always very open and honest with him. Even if he wasn't being so now, Trunks could still read exactly what had his friend bothered. It was him.

Trunks went very still, staring down at his friend while his emotions clashed catastrophically inside him. Confusion was dominant, but he couldn't deny the sudden ache of longing and curiosity that flared up almost out of nowhere. It blindsided him about as much as the look Goten was giving him did.

"Goten…I-."

The younger teen turned away from him, jerking his arm free. The movement wasn't hostile, it was panicked – like he couldn't get away fast enough.

"I think I'm actually going to turn in," he muttered, eyes downcast. "Night."

"Night," Trunks murmured distantly. Trying to sort out his conflicting feelings stopped him from going after his best friend. When he failed to make some sense of the mess, he gave up and took to the skies, thinking that he might be better off sleeping on whatever had just happened between them. He knew only one thing for certain and that was that there had been a definite shift to their friendship. The good or bad of it…it was too soon to tell.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Collapsing back against the mountain of pillows at the head of her bed, Aiden released a huge sigh, letting her arms fall to her sides. They were finally home after what had been a very…_very_ long day and as much as she appreciated everyone doting on her and making an effort to get to know her, she had spent the last hour of her visit at the Son's wanting nothing more than to be alone. And she only felt marginally guilty that the need to be alone did not involve being alone with Gohan.

She needed some time to sort out what had happened between them, what he had admitted to, and she definitely needed to be able to hear her own thoughts again. For reasons she couldn't explain at all she had been heard Gohan's thoughts drifting through her own most of the evening. It had been curious at first, seeing as how they were so sporadic and soft that she wasn't entirely sure what she was hearing. But then he'd gotten furious with Hercule for once again making an advance on her and that's when she'd heard his thoughts – disturbing, hateful thoughts – as clear as day.

Trunks couldn't have picked a better time to intercede and suggest a walk down to the lighthouse.

Trunks…where had he gone anyway? She and Gohan had left him and Trunks by the campfire and when they had returned, both were gone. No one at the house had known where Trunks was but they said Goten had gone inside not long before she and Gohan had come back.

Aiden sat up suddenly, a frown knitting her brow. It wasn't like her brother to vanish without saying anything. Pushing herself out of bed, she padded lightly out of her room and across the hallway. The door to Trunks' room was closed and she knocked softly before testing the knob. Not locked.

Cautiously, she cracked the door open, calling out softly before peeking in. Trunks was laying on the bed, his hands folded under his head, legs crossed at the heels, his disturbed gaze focused on the ceiling.

"Hey," she said again, raising her voice only enough to draw his attention.

"Hey," he murmured back distractedly.

Aiden moved to the bed and sat down beside him, dropping her head back to look up at the ceiling. "So…is there like some crazy pattern your seeing up there or what?"

He snorted softly, a grin finding its way across his face. "Or what."

"When did you get home?"

"Couple hours ago."

Aiden nodded, let the silence hang for a few moments, then laid down beside him, turning on her side and tucking her hands under her head. "You going to tell me what's going on?"

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Aiden…I would if I even knew what was going on myself."

Her anxiety quickly intensified. She didn't like to see him like this – not her brother who'd been such a constant source of hope and strength in her life.

Trunks let his head loll to the side, regarding her intently. "How much of an open mind do you have?"

She mulled over that question for a bit, not really knowing what he meant. "Well…I lived with a prostitute for 20 years so I'd like to think pretty open." When that failed to make him smile, she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. "What's going on?"

His brows lowered and he seemed to resist internally for a moment. "I was talking to Goten, telling him how sorry I felt for Gohan because of what you guys are going to have to face when Videl gets back. When you guys came back out from the house and let us know what happened…he got all quiet. He didn't even say anything until I brought up Videl later by the campfire. And then he said-."

Aiden waited patiently, her grip on his arm tightening in a show of support. He was struggling. He muttered a harsh curse and pulled his hand out from under his head to rub it in an agitated motion over his face. "He said that staying true to what you're feeling when it confuses the hell out of you isn't easy."

"Oh," Aiden supplied, non-too-helpful in her response. "What did he mean by that?"

"Well, I was talking about Gohan but I think he was-." He sat up, hanging his head and trying to hide the dark red now staining his cheeks. "I think he was talking about me," he finished softly. "I asked him if he was having problems with a girl, or with his mom, then gave him crap for not telling me if it was a girl because we _always_ tell each other _everything_. He said I was the last person he could talk to about what was going on in his head."

Aiden pushed herself into a sitting position, bracing her weight on one arm. Lifting her hand to her mouth, she nibbled thoughtfully on the nail of her index finger. Applying his words to what she knew of Goten, she could honestly say she wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Goten was so sweet, so kind and involved in the lives of his friends. "How long have you guys known each other?"

"Since we were kids." Trunks smiled fondly, raking his hand through his hair. "We grew up together, trained together, saved the world together. We've, um-." He faltered, the smile fading quickly. "We've gone through a lot. Goten's dad wasn't around until he was seven and it was hard on him, not having a father figure in his life. A lot of people we love have died and been brought back by these wishes we can ask of the Eternal Dragon. Getting them back doesn't mean losing them is any easier though. He's my best friend and I-."

"Do you see him as more than just a friend though?" Aiden interrupted softly.

Trunks looked helpless for a moment. She was almost certain he'd been sitting here for hours asking himself that same question, trying to find the answer in all the confusion. She knew all-too-well how that felt.

"I didn't," he started. "Not until tonight. Or maybe I did and just didn't really notice it, you know?" With a groan, he leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. "We're so damn close. And we both know what it's like to be us - to not be like every other normal person walking around out there without the blood of another race in their veins. We have the same frustrations and I…I don't know."

Aiden leaned against him. She took one of his hands, lacing her fingers through his. "You know what my favorite part of today was?"

"Do I want to know?"

Trunks angled a wry grin at her and she made a noise of disgust, nudging him harmlessly. "Besides _that._" She looked down at their hands, so different. Yet the same Saiyan blood coursed through them. "My favorite part of the day…was when Gohan was honest with me about the entire Videl thing. He could have not said anything and it could have been ten times uglier than it will be when we have to face it, but he didn't. He was honest with me and he was honest with himself."

"I see where you're going with this."

"Good." Adien grinned and rested her forehead against his temple, ignoring the smirk he was giving her. "Be honest with yourself. Be honest with Goten."

"There's a lot of people who aren't going to be cool with that at all."

"Are you?"

He was silent. _Probably thinking it over again, _Aiden thought. But she couldn't blame him. What he was talking about – it was complicated. Complicated on a level that sleeping with someone while your girlfriend was off on vacation could never be. There were opinions to consider, families that might be ripped apart, stigmatisms and bigotry to face. There was nothing simplistic about it.

"Yes," he finally said.

Aiden cupped the side of his face in her hand, coaxing him to look at her. "Then that's all that should matter."

Trunks smiled, pressing his lips to her hand. "Love you, sis."

"Love you too. Now go call Goten."

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX **

For the hundredth time over the past half hour, Goten contemplated going back home as he paced back and forth, his fists clenched around the excess fabric on the sleeves of his sweatshirt. The fire he, Gohan and Trunks had built up earlier was now smoldering embers, crackling every now and then in the cold, night air.

Why was he even here? Why had he even agreed to meet Trunks after what he'd said to him. If taken the way it was meant, Goten very much doubted there would be any feelings returned on Trunks' part. They were friends, always had been, for longer than he could even remember. He knew Trunks better than he knew anyone, even his own family. And he knew what other people saw when they looked at him – power, prestige, and good looks. No matter where they went, women would always stop what they were doing to stare at the infamous Trunks Briefs. It wasn't until about a year ago that it had started to really bother him.

He could remember the day it all changed with horrible clarity. He'd been standing in the hallway at school with Trunks and two girls had approached them. He was naïve at first enough to think that they had plotted to pair off with either one of them. Dende knows they were looking at him with enough interest to make him believe that. But then they started talking, ignoring him all together and putting the full attention on Trunks as they shamelessly asked him to sleep with both of them. Well, more or less. There was a lot more to it than that – a bit of flirting on Trunks' part, lots of touching on the part of the girls. In a roundabout way, they got to their point.

It was with the first touch from the tall blond that a foreign emotion twisted Goten's stomach in uncomfortable, angry knots. He'd never once contemplated hurting a girl with malicious intentions but when the taller of the two had touched Trunks, _his_ Trunks, all he could think about was throwing her into the nearest locker. That friend of hers wouldn't be far behind.

He's quickly excused himself, ashamed of every envious, ugly thought and ran for the bathroom where he doused himself with handfuls of freezing cold water in a desperate attempt to calm his jealous rage.

It hadn't gotten better after that. Quite the opposite. The only thing that changed was Goten's ability to put on an indifferent face and act like it wasn't bothering him. And up until Gohan and Aiden had told them about their talk and how honest Gohan had been, he'd been a pro at hiding what he was feeling. Now…he just couldn't do it. That part of him that loved Trunks and cherished not only his friendship, but his closeness, took up much more space than it had starting out. It didn't want to be silent anymore. It wanted to be honest, even if Trunks didn't return his feelings.

There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere, letting him know that Trunks was close. He stopped pacing and folded his arms protectively over his chest. Anxiety formed like a rock in the pit of his stomach and again, he had to fight the urge to turn and run home.

Trunks landed not far from him. He was breathless and his lavender hair was a wreck from the wind ripping through it. He made a vain attempt to fix it, grinning at Goten. "Hey!"

"Hey," Goten returned nervously. "So, what did you want to meet here for?"

Trunks shrugged. He looked around the small campsite, his gaze falling on the embers struggling to remain aglow in the pit. "We should probably build that back up."

"Were you planning on being out here long?"

Another shrug. "However long it takes."

Without questioning him, Goten started to help him find wood and build the fire up to a healthy blaze. With that done, they sat on the log beside and fell silent. Around them the night whispered its lullaby, the crackling of the fire accompanying it with quite persistence.

_Same way we were sitting before,_ Goten thought. He rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands, leaning over them. Was Trunks thinking about what had happened earlier that evening? What he'd said? Was he here to tell him nothing could happen between them? Goten swallowed hard and waited, dread eating away at him. _It wasn't supposed to be this way. He was never supposed to know. I had to be stupid and open my damn mouth-._

"What did you mean?" Trunks suddenly asked, his soft voice breaking the silence.

"Huh?"

"Don't do the clueless thing, Goten. Earlier…when you were talking about how you were confused about some relationship – what did you mean?"

He couldn't even look at him right now. Him – Trunks…his best friend. The only thing that had remained a constant in his life. He didn't have the strength to face him or to put something he relied on so heavily in jeopardy. "It was nothing. I shouldn't have even said anything. Cant' we just forget that I did?"

"You can if you want." Trunks moved closer. Goten didn't look up to confirm it but he could feel the heat from his body, so close now that they were almost touching. He bit his bottom lip hard, hard enough to draw blood. This entire situation was so unfair. He wanted to turn and hold onto Trunks, to confess every confusing emotion he'd been fighting by himself for so long. He wasn't used to fighting alone. He was used to fighting right next to Trunks. He wanted to do that now…but he just couldn't.

"You can forget it all you want. But I won't."

Goten's breath caught and his eyes went wide as he watched his best friend's hand slide between his. He looked up and his blood started pounding in his ears. Trunks was so close, his intense blue eyes fixed on Goten's. "Trunks…what-."

"I think," the lavender haired teen started, a ghost of a grin playing around the corners of his mouth, "that when you were talking about relationships, you were talking about ours, right?"

"Right," Goten breathed, hardly aware that he was speaking. He was too focused on those eyes.

"And I think…that you meant you were confused about something you're feeling. What are you feeling?"

"I wish I knew," the younger teen breathed. His hand tightened around Trunks', holding it like a lifeline. "I don't know what's going on with me, Trunks. I don't know why I feel like this."

"Like what?" Trunks pressed. He lifted his free hand, brushing his fingertips over Goten's cheeks. Was he crying? He hadn't even noticed. Great…just what he needed. To be a crybaby on top of everything else. Fantastic.

"Like…like you're everything to me. You've been there from day one, at my side, keeping me sane, helping me get stronger. You've been the one thing in my life I can always rely on to be there when I need you and it's just…it's not feeling like it used to. It's not feeling like you're my best friend."

Trunks frowned. His hand fell to Goten's shoulder, his fingers lightly brushing his neck. Goten reacted to the innocent touch, his body shivering with forbidden longing.

"How does it not feel like I'm your best friend?"

"Because." Goten hung his head, ashamed. "Because it's more than that…it's deeper than just…friends. At least for me, it is. And I don't want it to be because I don't want to lose you."

"Chibi," Trunks murmured the nickname softly, one he hadn't heard since they were kids. Hope flickered somewhere deep inside of him, fighting to live. "You're not going to lose me."

"How can I not when I feel like this?" Goten cried softly, his eyes pleading. "How can I not lose you when I want more of you than you probably even want to give?"

"Says who?" Trunks asked, taking him completely by surprise. "Goten…we've known each other forever. No one knows me like you do. _No one._ You've been everything to me and I…" he glanced down at their entwined hands. "And I love you," he finished softly. He lacked ny shame, any resistance, stating the three words as if they were just a simple fact…as if it took no effort what-so-ever to make such a drastic change to what they were together.

"You…what?"

When he glanced up again, that easy smirk was firmly in place. "You heard me, Goten."

"Yeah, but Trunks…what about everyone else?"

"What about them?" Trunks leaned close to him, resting his forehead against Goten's. "What about you?"

Goten held his breath. For so long he'd been wanting to say the words. Could it possibly happen this easily?

"Just…let me try something here, okay?" Trunks said, inching closer.

Goten searched his friends solemn gaze for a reason not to trust him, for a reason to deny what he was feeling, go back to what was safe an familiar. If he said yes – everything would change. Was it worth it?

He swallowed hard, then nodded. Trunks gave him a small, encouraging smile. His knuckles brushed over his jaw. Goten couldn't help it – he tensed.

"Relax Goten," Trunks murmured.

"Trying," the younger teen replied. "Just nervous, I guess."

"I know. I am too. Listen…if you don't want to-."

Before he could second guess himself once more, Goten drug in a deep breath and quickly silenced Trunks the only way he could think to – by kissing him. The second their lips touched all doubts, all fear and anxiety melted away. Something clicked and it felt amazingly right.

Trunks went ridged, but only for a moment. Then his arm came around Goten, the hand of the other sweeping into his hair. Goten wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer, reveling in the feel of his strong body pressed against his. He'd dreamed of things like this, wanted to the point that it was almost painful. Those dreams and desires…they had nothing on the real thing. Nothing at all.

"I love you, Trunks," he muttered against his friend's lips. With the admission out, he couldn't help the relieved laugh that escaped him. "God, you have _no_ idea how good it feels to say that."

"Probably about as good as it feels to be kissing you." Trunks pulled him in for another, far more ardent kiss. Heat spiked between them and Goten opened his mouth, tentatively touching his tongue against het seam of Trunks' lips. With a groan, the older Saiyan's mouth parted and his tongue swept in to brush against Goten's in an erotic caress.

They clung to one another, not able to get close enough, both scared to take one step further yet unable to stop what they'd recklessly set free. Trunks pressed against Goten, forgetting where they were and the younger Saiyan lost his balance, toppling off the log and taking Trunks with him.

"Jeez Trunk!" Gohan exclaimed breathlessly, the air forced from his lungs when Trunks landed on him.

"Sorry!" he quickly exclaimed. He braced his hand on either side of Goten and pushed himself slightly off of the younger Saiyan, allowing him to breathe again. "I'm sorry, Chibi. I forgot-."

"What did you eat before you came here?"

Trunks frowned down at him. "What? Are you seriously thinking about food right now?"

"Did you have ice cream? You taste like ice cream."

The two stared at each other for a long moment before both burst into laughter. Trunks fell beside Goten, keeping one arm draped loosely over his waist. Their laughter tapered away after a while but they continued to grin at one another, both reeling from the mutual decision to dive blindly into uncharted territory.

Shifting onto his side, Goten gave into the long-suppressed urge to touch, running his fingers over Trunks' sculpted chest with a mixture of awe and pride. "No one's going to like this," he said.

Trunks shrugged. His fingers lazily ruffled the hair at the nape of Goten's neck, causing the younger Saiyan to shiver slightly and move closer to him. "I wouldn't say no one." At Goten's questioning look, he continued. "I talked to Aiden about it."

Goten's eyes shot up, panic welling in the onyx depths. "What did she say?"

"I was stressing out about everyone not being cool with it so she asked me if I was. When I told her yes, her exact words were 'then that's all that should matter.' Then she told me to call you."

"She needs to marry Gohan."

Trunks laughed, affectionately ruffling Goten's hair. "See? At least we've got one person on our side. And you can bet that if Aiden's on our side, Gohan will be too. Everyone else…well…we'll face that when we get to it."

"And until then?"

"Until then-." He leaned close to Goten, inhaling his scent. "I think we just have fun and get used to the whole idea of…us."

The younger teen's hum of approval was muffled against Trunks' lips and he quickly forgot about everyone else, wrapping his arms around his neck and letting the world slip away unnoticed around them.


End file.
